Touch Me
by Darklycopene
Summary: Lucy frowned. "Hold on! Who said you could sleep in my bed?" Natsu returned her frown "We always share a bed. What's so different now?" Lucy pursed her lips. "We don't share a bed, you sneak into it once I'm asleep! And..." She paused slightly, a blush dusting her cheeks. "Well.. Happy isn't here.." Smutty/lemon-ny goodness! Now with alternate ending!
1. Touch Me

Lucy huffed a pent breath from her lungs as she felt the man behind her on the bed. He was expertly toying with her breasts in the most sensually fantastic way possible. Though he was bringing her to a state of insanity with his touches, she felt an ache in her most intimate place that was screaming for attention. She pulled his hand from her breast and trailed it down her form.

How had this happened. Truth be told, she knew exactly how it happened, but perhaps a better question was "how did this happen so quickly".

Her night had been rather bland, actually. She spent the evening by herself, reading a mystery romance novel Levy had lent her a few days ago. Lucy reasoned that although it wasn't her usual literary preference, she could stand to expand her horizons, for the sake of her novels. So there she had been, reading the book earnestly. In fact, she began to enjoy it so much that she cooked her dinner with it in her hand, and sat down to eat her creation with it splayed out in front of her on the table. She had abruptly reached the last page whilst she was cutting herself a rather generous slice of cream cake for desert. She flipped the last page, wanting to read more of the novel, and huffing her dissatisfaction at its ending.

"That ending could have been so much better!" She whined to the empty room. "They didn't even find the culprit behind the mystery! It was all romance!"

Lucy slapped the book shut, and made a mental note to ask Levy if it was part of a series of books, instead of one stand alone terror.

Looking around the room, Lucy noticed she must have been reading for longer than she anticipated. It was practically dark, save for the last few rays of sun peeking into the window by her bed. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Hm, twenty past seven wasn't that late, but it did mean she had spent three hours with her nose in the book. She re-orientated herself to reality and walked herself through the remaining jobs of the day.

"Do the dishes, have a bath and write more of my novel." She mused.

She shrugged, and proceeded to wash the dishes she had made from dinner. She figured she must have left them for a little too long, as some of the food had stuck to the plate, forcing her to scrub vigorously to remove it. Stacking the dishes, she nodded to herself and walked to her dresser, pulling out her pajamas. She looked at the selected pair and pursed her lips. They were long, fleece and pink. She liked the colour, but the fleece? The temperature was certainly too warm to permit that! She dug around in the drawer, and instead selected a pale blue and white nightie. She nodded to it, and made her way to the bathroom.

She turned on the taps, put the plug in the bath and waited for it to fill. Quickly becoming bored with watching, she walked to her bathroom sink and brushed her teeth. She felt like a thought was picking at the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite grasp it. She shrugged, finished up brushing her teeth and stripped off her day clothes to get into the bath.

She sighed happily, feeling the water flow over her body. It felt like a liquid blanket, the absolute perfect temperature. She lay there, allowing her body to bob from the bottom of the bath to the surface, before pushing herself back down. She lifted her gaze to the ceiling, and frowned. What was that thought at the back of her mind.

She slowly began scrubbing porcelain skin with a loofah as she racked her brain for the niggling thought. As she washed her shoulders, her eyes brightened. Ah-ha!

She realised she hadn't seen Natsu all afternoon! She had of course seen them earlier that day at the guild hall, Natsu stuffing his face full of all the available food, and Happy humming delightedly over some fish. She had asked them if they wanted to do a request, however Happy had stated he would be going with Charle and Wendy on some other job. Natsu shrugged his shoulders and said he probably wouldn't go on a job without Happy, as he had already checked the board and found most of them to be lengthy. Lucy supposed it had made sense that he wouldn't want to be away from Happy for more than a few hours.

Lucy resigned herself to a day of restful boredom and, after a quick conversation with Levy, ended up with the book. The rest was history, she supposed! It was strange that Natsu hadn't at least popped by to eat her food or harass her for company.

"He must be busy doing other things!" She mused.

Shrugging, she stood up from her bath and grabbed her towel, drying herself as she hummed contentedly. She put her nightie on and stepped out of the bathroom, steam silhouetting her as she left.

"Hi, Lucy!" a cheerful voice called.

Lucy was so used to this occurrence that she didn't even question who it was.

"Natsu." She stated "Breaking into my house again?"

Natsu had made himself at home on her bed, cross legged and in his usual attire.

"Happy's left on the mission, so I thought I'd crash here for the night!" Natsu replied, a grin plastered over his face.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're supposed to _ask_ if you can stay at someone's house, not just sneak in through the window! I have stuff I want to do tonight!" She huffed, arms crossing over chest.

Natsu's grin faded slightly. "I won't bother you, I just..." he paused lightly. "I'm not used to being alone."

There was no denying that Natsu's confession had tugged at her heart. She allowed herself to think for a moment before realising she had never actually noticed Natsu to be by himself for more than a few minutes. He literally always had someone around him, weather it be Happy, Lucy or someone else from the guild. Lucy was snapped from her thoughts as she heard Natsu continue.

"But if you don't want me here..." He said getting up from the bed and moving toward the window. "I'll... just go somewhere else."

"No!" Lucy yelled, dashing over to the window sill and grabbing Natsu's arm. I'm probably going to regret this, but you can stay."

Natsu's grin reappeared in full force and he wriggled from Lucy's grip and threw himself onto the bed. He shook off his shoes and jumbled his way under the blankets, letting out a contented sigh.

"Your bed is the best, Luce."

Lucy frowned. "Hold on! Who said you could sleep in _my_ bed?"

Natsu returned her frown, with confusion lacing his features. "We always share a bed. What's so different now?"

Lucy pursed her lips. "We don't share a bed, _you_ sneak into it once I'm asleep! And..." She paused slightly, a blush dusting her cheeks. "Well... Happy isn't here..."

Natsu's eyes widened momentarily. "Oh. Well. We're still best friends. And there's no way I'm sleeping on _that_ " He said, pointing to the armchair in the corner.

Lucy suddenly felt fatigued. This was likely not an argument she was going to win. Resigning herself to his persuasion, she nodded.

"Fine. But you have to stay on your side of the bed!" She scolded, climbing in to bed next to him and turning out the lights.

"Hey, I thought you had stuff to do tonight." Natsu pointed out.

"It was just more writing for my novel. I'm not really in the mood for it now, anyway."

"Oh. Okay." He replied plainly.

Silence enveloped the dark room. It felt... awkward. They were both laying completely still, no rustling around to get to sleep, no yawning. Lucy realised she felt very conscious of the man next to her. Was this weird? To share a bed with a guy, even if he was your best friend? Shouldn't she feel more uncomfortable?

"Hey, Lucy." Natsu said quietly.

Lucy, abruptly brought back from her thoughts for the second time that night stuttered a reply. "Y-yes?"

"Can we move a little closer together? I feel strange being this alone in bed."

What a simple statement for such a profound question. A blush reappeared on Lucy's face.

"I... I um..."

Natsu took initiative and shuffled toward her, his chest almost touching her back.

"Natsu!" Lucy shrieked, hugging herself into a ball. "That's too close!"

Natsu huffed a laugh. "Nah, we've been closer before. You've even hugged me in your sleep. Just like this." He said as he flopped an arm over her waist. "I can see why, too. This is very comfortable."

Lucy sucked in a breath, feeling tense within her mind, but unable to stop her body from relaxing at the soothing warmth Natsu brought.

Natsu nuzzled into her hair, a relaxed groan slipping from his lips.

"Why are you groaning!" Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu snuggled closer. "I dunno, you just smell good." He said, huffing another pleased sigh.

Lucy felt herself redden. This was getting too intimate! Not that her body seemed to mind, she physically felt the most relaxed she had all day. Strange, considering her partner was right behind her, snuggling. A thought crossed her mind, and she immediately chastised herself for it.

 _I could get used to this_

Oh no. No, no. No, absolutely not! Natsu was her partner. Nothing more! At least not yet...

There it was again. No. Lucy's head swan with confusing thoughts of her and Natsu building a life together, going on quests as a... _couple_... The thoughts were so mesmerizingly enticing, and yet she knew they were so completely unfounded.

Suddenly, Lucy felt something near her chest. Or rather, not _near_ her chest, but _on_ her chest. Natsu's hand had lay itself there as he tried to find a more comfortable place for his arm. She heard him gasp lightly and retract his hand from her breasts, his fingers twitching lightly in front of her.

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. She wasn't entirely sure about what prompted it, but she covered his larger hand with her own, and placed it back on her nightie covered chest. She felt Natsu puff a breath out, and heard him swallow thickly. A raging blush had raced it's way across Lucy's face and she bit her lower lip. What was she thinking! She slowly removed her hand and placed it on the mattress in front of her. So there they lay, Natsu with his hand on Lucy's clothed breast, and Lucy, with a blush that rivaled the intensity of the sun. Lucy's thoughts ran at a million miles an hour, disjointed and flustered as she once again chastised herself.

She was brought out of her thoughts as she felt Natsu's hand squeeze gently, and heard him swallow thickly again, followed by a light gasp. She returned his gasp, and felt her chest jiggle with the intensity of the breath she took. His own breathing had become quite a bit faster, and she could feel the rise and fall of his chest against her back.

Natsu would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised at this turn of events. Its not as though he'd never noticed Lucy's ample chest before, hell, he'd even touched it with his own two hands before! But.. those times had been so... accidental. Not like this. _She_ had put his hand on her breast, and _he_ had responded by squeezing it! Natsu's face felt flushed. In fact, he felt like he was going to pass out. This was his first experience of touching someone more than platonically, and his mind was running at top speed, completely unaware of how to react to the situation.

"S-sorry. I- I don-" Natsu mumbled.

Although his stuttered speech had betrayed some sense of confusion and guilt, it couldn't hold a candle to his racing thoughts. They were becoming lewd! Things he had heard about women from the guys at the guild from the guys at the guild were actually sounding tempting. Gah, boobs were great! Soft, warm and enticing! He felt the instinctual desire to put his face between them, touch them more. Oh, but he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He felt so conflicted; aroused and yet overwhelmingly nervous.

He was brought out of his thoughts from Lucy's soft reply.

"I- I don't mind..." She trailed.

Lucy mentally berated herself. That's not true, she did mind! She minded a lot! They were partners, best friends! She had slapped him upside the head when he touched her breasts last time! Hell, she'd never shied away from telling a man to not touch her body- she was confident in her sex appeal, yes, but that was certainly not an invitation for someone to touch her. So why was this different? Why had she allowed him to touch her, nay, _encouraged_ him? She quickly rationaled that it felt... well... good. Good?! This was Natsu she was talking about! It just crossed so many lines! They couldn't do something like this, he hadn't even taken her to dinner!

She felt Natsu squeeze again, and gently move his hand against her hardening nipple. His movements were so experimental, so obviously laced with apprehension. She let slip a very faint moan, betraying her inward turmoil.

She felt a tightness in her belly, and her head was so hot she was sure it was going to explode. She focused in on the feeling in her stomach and found it to be familiar. Oh no. She was... she... was... aroused? What? How was this happening? This was a feeling she had only ever known by her own volition. A response to a built up need, rather than a direct situation. She bit the inside of her cheek. She was so confused! Here was Natsu, her friend- no wait, best friend- and he was behind her, breathing hotly onto her neck and fondling her breasts! Worst of all, she was... enjoying it.

Behind her, Natsu's worries had shifted. She had begun to smell... different. Muskier perhaps. Whatever the scent was, it was invading his nostrils, and driving him nigh insane. It was like the scent was coaxing him, encouraging him to go further, do more. He could feel his previous confusion slipping slowly away, and a more primal disposition taking over. His touches had become somewhat less gentle and apprehensive, and he focused on getting her to again make that small, faint whine he had heard. He removed his hand from her chest, and ran it along her arm, over her shoulder and rested for a slight moment at her clavicle. Then, he slipped his hand over the straps of her nightie, pushing it down her arm. Lucy aided and wriggled slightly as she aided her nightie to be pushed under her breasts. Natsu's hands resumed his ministrations with her breasts, now paying attention to both with his hand, going between them with tweaks and light scratches in an attempt to not neglect either one.

The sensation of Natsu's hands against her breasts was strangely welcomed by the blonde. She had replaced her confusion at the situation with a lust that she was not aware she had for the Dragon Slayer. The niggling voice at the back of her mind telling her that it was Natsu, her best friend, and this wasn't okay had all but vanished, and a much stronger thought had worked it's way to the forefront of her concious. In essence, the thought manifested in two words: touch me.

Lucy knew she was getting carried away in the heat of the moment, and although she had absolutely no experience in physical relationships with other people, she could not stop the ideas she had flooding into her mind. Ideas of pulling her nightie off completely to allow him better access. Ideas of moving his hands from her breast to the ache between her legs. She was breathing hotly, and had tilted her head back against the pillow, feeling Natsu's own breath against her neck.

Natsu shivered as he heard Lucy's breath labour and felt her chest rising and falling faster. It placed all sorts of thoughts in his head that he had never actually considered before. He was suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss her. He did so, placing an open mouthed kiss on her neck, enjoying Lucy's breathy moan and her tilting her head to give him better access.

The nerves on Lucy's neck all but exploded when she felt Natsu's kiss. After feeling the warmth of his breath, the sensation of his lips was positively electrifying. She couldn't help a moan escaping her lips, and felt her entire being ache for more of his open-mouthed kisses. He seemed to comply with her wishes, placing hot kisses along her exposed neck. Her breath hitched when she felt him bite her neck instead, the nerve endings spiking at the new contact. It was an absolutely delicious sensation, one that had her pining for more contact. Her mind was completely overrun with lust, and she could simply not stop thoughts from demanding that she be touched in places other than her ample chest. She huffed a breath of air out, and abruptly grabbed Natsu's hand. She trailed it briskly down her clothed body, before having it stay at the hem of her nightie. She bit her lip, and removed her hand from his own.

Natsu's mind rejoiced when he felt Lucy trail his hand down her body. He paused his kisses on her neck as he felt her hand leave his, unsure of what to do next. He frowned, leaving his hand resting on her upper thigh. He racked his brain for the next course of action, but his rejoicing quickly turned to apprehension again, as he realised this new, unfamiliar territory.

"Touch me, Natsu."

Natsu's ears pricked up. He hadn't heard anything other than breathy moans and the sound of skin against fabric during this ordeal. Something about the lust-laden way Lucy had said those words made something in him snap. Before he knew what he was doing, he had pulled her towards him, Lucy's back flat on the bed, and established himself on top of her. He realised it was the first time he had seen her full face since they began. Her cheeks were stained pink, and her hair had been completely messed up. His eyes traveled lower, and found the top of her chest also pink, her porcelain breasts looking irresistible in the moonlight.

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek as she stared at Natsu above her. His eyes were dark and his cheeks stained a light pink. God, he was absolutely gorgeous. The way his pink hair had slightly stuck to his forehead and how he licked his lips every so often, it was so... so... sexy. She felt the desire in her stomach twist and turn, informing her of the need to continue. She sighed lightly and ran her hand down Natsu's clothed torso. She felt him stiffen under her touch, and his muscled rippled with her gliding hand. She had hugged him before, and felt that he had certainly ample muscles, but actually running her hand over him, she found he was so much more tightly corded than she had felt. It was irresistible. She felt the ridge of his pants, and left her hand there, biting her bottom lip in uncertainty.

Natsu had never felt more of an euphoric state than having Lucy's hands run down his chest. He wished and prayed and begged any deity listening that she would continue the path and reach the tightness in his pants. God, he was so hard it ached. What he wouldn't give for her to just... touch... a little lower... This was the first time she had touched him and he was reacting completely wildly. His chest was rising and falling unevenly, taking ragged breaths through pursed lips. He let a breath out slowly and subconsciously lifted his hips in an attempt to get her hand closer to his aching member.

Lucy's eyes snapped from Natsu's lower stomach to his eyes. They were glassy, and staring right at her. She felt him rise closer to her hand, and she instinctively knew he was angling for her to touch him further. Her eyes trailed down his clothed body again, to where her hand rested on the hem of his pants, and taking short shallow breaths, she touched the outline of something hard and long.

Natsu let out a guttural groan as his head flopped forwards, pink hair tickling Lucy's nose. Oh God, she was doing it, she was touching him. He felt his cock jump at the sensation of her hand through his clothes, and he swore it was the best thing he had ever felt in his entire life. He shifted against her hand, pressing his member further into her. If only he could feel it without his clothes in the way, if only her hand could be _actually_ on him. He sat back quickly, ripped his sleeved shirt over his head, and threw it on the ground. He was about to reach for the hem of his pants, when he noticed Lucy had retracted her hand and was looking at him, wide eyed and opened mouthed. He immediately flushed red and withdrew his hands from the hem of his pants.

"Sorry, I- I got carried away". He mumbled.

Lucy blinked a few times, taking in the shirtless Natsu. She grinned lightly at his apology, and then, overtaken by curiosity and lust, reached for his pants. Natsu stiffened at her hands on his waistband, and moved his eyes to where her fingers were. In one deft movement, Lucy pulled his pants down over his ass and let them pool at his knees on the bed.

Natsu's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, as he remained frozen in his place above her, looking at his own naked body. He suddenly felt very exposed. Very, very exposed. He'd been left with shreds of clothing after battles, had bathed in onsen with the guys and girls at the guild, and had even strutted around Lucy's place in nothing but a towel before. But this... this was very different. He felt something he had never felt before. Vulnerability. He was suddenly paralyzed with thoughts of inadequacy and self doubt, a far cry from his lust filled mind of several minutes ago. His member was standing at full attention, and irregularly pulsing in the warm summer evening's air.

Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't notice Natsu's change in demeanor. It was fairly obvious he had become nervous, but there was something about this new appendage she had never seen before. She wanted to touch it. Tentatively reaching out, she lay her index finger on his member. She heard Natsu hiss, and saw his elbows buckle slightly out of the corner of her eye. She moved her finger to the base of his length and ran it up slowly. It was smooth, but hard and she noticed it twitch under her touch.

Natsu couldn't believe the all consuming pleasure he felt from one single finger of Lucy's on him. He'd certainly masturbated before, infrequently at that, and with the sole purpose of keeping his ever raging hormones under control. But this, oh gods, this was so, _so_ much better. All his prior vulnerability had been shed from his mind, and he found himself once again in lust filled euphoria. He closed his eyes as his head once again flopped down as he felt Lucy replace one finger with her entire hand and gently, experimentally, stroke him. He groaned each time she pumped him and felt his body weaken. He blearily opened his eyes, and noticed his proximity to her gorgeous breasts. They were simply amazing, so round and soft. . He moved his lips to her nipples, and flicked his tongue out. Lucy gasped in shock and Natsu, the ever-curious, repeated his actions.

Lucy withdrew her hand from Natsu and moved a finger to her mouth, biting down on it. Natsu seemed to pause at her withdrawal, but then experimentally sucked, leaving Lucy breathless at this new development. Natsu proved to be a fast learner, with only moans and gasps to teach him. His mouth was firmly clasped over her left breast, flicking his tongue over her nipple while sucking gently. He let his right hand roam roughly over her stomach before it came to rest on her other breast, and he grabbed it with his fingers, catching the nipple between them. Lucy's hands threaded through his hair as she moaned wantonly. Natsu responded well to her moans, and continued his ministrations with deft physical articulation.

Lucy was absolutely loving this, like her chest was being worshiped by the Dragon Slayer. She longed to have the pressure released from her core, and her impatience was shrinking with her growing arousal. It gave her the feeling that she had championed something- tamed something, sensation of causing the great Natsu Dragneel to be completely lust filled was almost intoxicating. It sent a shiver down her body, and Natsu must have noticed, because he suddenly stopped his ministrations, and looked straight into her glassy eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, worry clouding his features.

Lucy, taking the sense of pride she had at awakening something within Natsu, pushed lightly at his shoulders. Confusion and borderline terror masked his features as he quickly sat upright on his knees. He drew his hands away from her, and held them up, signalling his intention of not going any further. Lucy smirked lightly, and pushed again on his shoulders, coaxing him to lay down. Concern left Natsu's face, and was replaced with curiosity at the sudden shift in the situation. He lay flat on his back and stared at Lucy, waiting for her to continue what she had begun.

And continue she did.

She positioned herself on her knees as she reached under the hem of her nightie and pulled at her panties, coaxing them down her porcelain legs. Hitching them over her knees and sliding them off her feet, she threw them over Natsu's head toward the end of the bed. Natsu briefly watched them as they drifted past him, his eyes almost rolling back in his head at the scent they carried. He swallowed thickly as he realised that Lucy was now exclusively wearing a nightie. Nothing underneath, at all. His breathing deepened as she crawled towards him and sat on his aching groin. She rucked up her nightie, exposing her core as she pressed into him. They both huffed at the skin to skin contact and half lidded eyes met as Natsu's hands set themselves on Lucy's hips and dug in to her soft skin. Lucy sat still for what seemed like an eternity, hyper aware of the fact she was practically dripping on to him, and taking short, sharp breaths every time she felt him twitch beneath her. She moved her hips slightly against him, enjoying the feeling of him beneath her. She grinned slightly at Natsu, who had screwed his eyes closed and gripped her hips with an intensity she hadn't realised was possible.

Natsu enjoyed the feeling of having her slide against him, and unconsciously set up a rhythm in time with hers. While she would slide along him, he would arch his hips up, reveling in the feeling of the extra pressure. Lucy was not immune to this added sensation, as she quickly figured out that if she moved against him in just the right way, her sensitive nub would receive most of the stimulation. It was practically intoxicating.

Natsu's hands roamed all over the place as they sped up their grindings. From her hips, to her breasts, to his hair. He covered his eyes with his palms and briskly reefed them through his hair, holding on to some semblance of sanity as Lucy brought him to the brink of his destruction. He looked as though he was so completely overwhelmed with the sensations that he was losing his mind. Lucy felt the same way, as her glazed eyes locked on his form and she felt the white heat within her become searing. It was building, a tight coil in her stomach that was aching to be relieved.

Lucy came undone first, as the pressure she felt exploded and spilled over its barriers. Her entire body shuddered and her neck limply gave way as her head flopped forward. A long, low, shuddering moan fell from her lips and she erratically panted as she rode her climax out on top of Natsu.

Natsu had observed the entire ordeal with open, curious eyes, watching her shudder and feeling her pulse on top of his member. At the sound of her moan, he realised he could no longer hold it together, and felt his own tightly coiled desire release. His hands flew to her hips and he dug his nails in as he thrust along her haphazardly. He felt himself stiffen almost painfully as he emptied himself onto his stomach, feeling his muscles tense and un-tense erratically.

Natsu panted heavily and swallowed thickly as he felt Lucy collapse her lithe frame on top of him. His hands immediately flew to her back and rubbed it almost soothingly as she panted into the crook of his neck. After they regained their breath, Lucy lent up slightly, her face hovering over his.

Natsu blushed deeply, feeling euphorically vulnerable. A realisation of the events that had just transpired entered his mind and he suddenly felt something different. Perhaps relief? Victory maybe? He internally shrugged, knowing that he simply felt comfortable. A beautiful woman sitting on top of him, her hair messy and stuck to her face, and her breath, although calmed, still coming in pants and huffs. Natsu's heart swelled, feeling completely content. He brought his hands to her face and pulled her down to his. He kissed her, slowly and completely, as if he were trying to convey his happiness of the situation to her.

Lucy decided right there and then that the feeling of Natsu's slightly chapped lips against her own was one of the best feeling she had ever experienced. The kiss was simple, but so full of adoration from both of them, that ceasing it seemed a sin. Natsu ran his hand through her blonde locks and over her back as she sat upright on him.

"Amazing.." She said gently.

Natsu hummed his agreement, rubbing her outer thighs lovingly.

Lucy blushed lightly and averted his gaze. "I.. I guess I'll go have a shower... I'm all..." she motioned to her thighs. "Sticky."

Natsu smiled and nodded.

Lucy was about to shuffle herself off his hips when she felt his hands grip her hips.

"Wait. We're still partners, right?" He asked.

Lucy huffed a laugh. "Of course, why not?"

Natsu frowned slightly. "I just... don't want to lose you."

Lucy rolled her eyes as she wriggled out of Natsu's grasp on her thighs and crept off him. "You won't. We're still best friends." She made her way off the bed and pulled her nightie straps over her shoulders again. She shot another smile at him as she turned and walked towards the bathroom.

Natsu grinned at her. "For now."

* * *

 **Hi everyone! It's been a little while since I've posted a new fic! I've recently got into Fairy Tail, and NALU would definitely be my OTP! I really wanted to give them a realistic(ish) first encounter, you know? Not everyone has sex the first time they get down and dirty, and I really think two people as inexperienced as Natsu and Lucy probably wouldn't know too much about the more... complex... side of physical intimacy. I like to think they'd be more focused on being hot and heavy, rather than the stereotypical 'first time' trope.**

 **I'm considering making this a selection of one shots (some with AU's, some with canon-verse), all NALU. Do let me know if you're interested!**

 **This is also my first time writing smut ^_^", so I'm a little unsure if I've made it realistic/something people want to read. I'd love to know your opinions of it! I don't mind if it's not a review, I'm very happy for you to PM me your feelings about it :) :).**

 **Have a lovely day!**

 **Ella xo**


	2. For Now

_Natsu frowned slightly. "I just... don't want to lose you."_

 _Lucy rolled her eyes as she wriggled out of Natsu's grasp on her thighs and crept off him. "You won't. We're still best friends." She made her way off the bed and pulled her nightie straps over her shoulders again. She shot another smile at him as she turned and walked towards the bathroom._

 _Natsu grinned at her. "For now."_

For now.

For now...

Lucy sat in the guild hall, looking at the open book in front of her. She hadn't turned the page in what felt like hours, re-reading the same sentences over and over again as she tried to make sense of the situation she had found herself in. Those two small words had played on Lucy's mind incessantly over the last week and a half. What did he mean "for now"?

"Hi, Luce!"

Lucy looked up in a daze to find Natsu leaning over the table, grinning at her. Relief somehow washed over her, despite the man in front of her being the source of her turmoil.

"Morning, Natsu."

Natsu slid into the pew beside her, sitting closer than she would've thought platonically acceptable. "So Luce, I was thinking, maybe we should go on a job soon. Happy and I are running out of food money."

Feeling the skin to skin contact of Natsu's arm against hers immediately brought back images of the night he had spent with her. Nothing had happened since then, things seemed to remain the same. On the surface at least. Lucy had tried to forget what she and Natsu had discovered in the way of physical gratification, and for the most part, Natsu seemed to have discarded it also.

But...

Of course, there's always a 'but'.

Since then, he'd done… things... that had sent her mind reeling. Things like catching him staring at her, an unreadable expression across his face, but a carnal look in his eyes. Or, when he simply _had_ to whisper something to her and placed his hand on the small of her back as he did. Things like saying things in a way that suggested something…more. Then of course, there was the ever present issue of him sitting very, _very_ close to her.

It was driving her insane! She found herself aching at night as she tried to fall asleep, wishing he was there to relieve some of the pressure _his_ sexual tension had built up. She would quickly reprimand herself, a chorus of "Natsu and I aren't like that. We just did that once... it was a one-time thing. I mean, if he wanted it more than once wouldn't he have come back? I'm probably reading too far into this stuff. Hyperaware of everything, that's all..." However, despite her self- reassurance, she was unable to stop the fantasies of Natsu as she touched herself. Fantasies of it being his hand instead of hers. Fantasies of his open mouthed kisses being placed along her neck.

Simply passively reliving the memories of their previous tryst was getting her hot and bothered again, and _in the guild hall._ If only she wasn't stuck with reliving the memories and could actually _do_ something about it...

"So, do you want to?" Natsu asked, a sly grin on his face.

Lucy's eyes locked on his as a blush spread over her face. "I... do what?" She squeaked.

Natsu shuffled even closer to her, head practically resting on her shoulder. "You know." He mumbled in her ear. "Do a... job..."

Lucy squealed and shoved herself along the pew to the far edge. "A job!" Of course, a _job._ "Yes! Of course!" She said, flinging him a thumbs up.

Natsu smirked at her, and held up a flyer. "This one is in the next town.

To say Natsu was confused was an absolute understatement. He felt like something in him had been awakened, something primal perhaps, even more primal than his love of fighting. He wanted whatever he and Lucy had done to happen again, however, at the same time he felt like he didn't want anything to change either. His mind ran circles around itself as he tried to make sense of the situation. At times, he couldn't control himself, and he would shuffle closer to Lucy to feel her warmth. He noticed that when he did that, her scent would change, to a fainter type of what he remembered that night. It was then, when he could smell her... whatever it was... that the awakened part of him would take over. He would get as close as possible to her, say things in a way that suggested more than it's apparent meaning in a subconscious effort to get closer to re-enacting what they had that night.

He loved the way she reacted to the things he said, almost like he was playing a game to see how far he could get in the situation without being scolded. Subconsciously, he related to it like a battle. Something he had to win without fail, but decidedly different, as there was no honor, glory or even reason at the end.

The other problem, was as hot as he tried to make Lucy, he found himself getting twice as bothered. Her scent would invade his very being, and he found a pattern in having to excuse himself to go and quickly deal with his frequent erections lest someone notice and give him grief for it. It was an inconvenience really, having to find somewhere private enough to take care of his problem, while trying to make sure to not draw attention to himself.

Once he had found a suitable place- his room, the bathroom, the storeroom- and constantly found himself thinking of Lucy. Lucy naked, Lucy's fantastic breasts, Lucy's soft supple thighs, Lucy on top of him as he imagined the feeling of sliding in and out of her. He'd never last too long, finding quick relief in his over active imagination, and he loved the sense of sanity he'd reach afterwards. Like a heavy cloud had been lifted from his mind. Of course, all it took was the thought or sight of Lucy again for the cloud to re-appear and he'd once again be primal driven.

Curiously, Natsu had even taken to masturbating for fun instead of just built up need. Certainly something he'd never done before. He waited until Happy was asleep, before sliding his hand into his boxers. Thoughts of Lucy invaded his mind and he would feel himself quickly harden under the touch of his hand. He stroked himself lazily until he felt the familiar coil in his stomach, taunting himself with thoughts of Lucy's hands on him instead of his own as he longed to reach out and touch her in all the places she wanted to be touched. He wanted grasp that scent again, discover if her aroma was as good as her taste. Huffing a breath out, he would pick up his pace and, almost without warning, empty himself into his boxers with ragged breaths and a small, satisfied grin.

All of these aspects had brought him to his current state- doing almost anything he could to spend more time with the girl. It culminated in proposing he, Lucy and Happy take a job in the next town. A monster that he been terrorizing the local people, apparently made out of some magic substance. It was easy enough, and the reward would cover enough for most of Lucy's rent and Natsu's food bill.

"Natsu that is the _last_ time I let you pick a job! Exploding the monster in front of me, what were you thinking?" Lucy shrieked as they strode into the guild hall.

"Hey! At least I beat it. Plus we got most of the reward" Natsu retorted, arms crossed firmly across his chest and eyes slid off to the side. "If anything, you should thank me."

Lucy took a deep breath and held up her hands. "I'm not having this argument again. The fact of the matter is, you exploded the monster, I'm covered in goo, and I feel absolutely disgusting."

Natsu paused before his eyes slid to meet hers and grin appeared on his lips. "Well. You look good enough to eat to me."

Lucy's mouth fell open. "I... I'm _covered_ in _goo_ , Natsu!" She threw her hands in the air. "Honestly, sometimes I don't get you. She paused for effect before muttering. "I'm going home for a shower."

And with that, she turned on the spot and marched out of the guild, making a beeline for home.

Lucy grumbled the whole way to her bathroom, curses about monsters, and tiny rewards and _why would exploding it be the answer!_

She spun the taps in the shower and stripped off her clothes, mumbling to herself. "Stupid Natsu." She grabbed the soap and started rubbing it along her body, finding the goo to have come off quite easily in the water. She mimicked his voiced "Good enough to eat" and scoffed loudly. "What does that even mean."

She paused, having remembered hearing those exact words somewhere. She quickly racked her mind, trying to remember who she heard it from. A song? Something about cake? Oh right. Cana. She'd said that during one of her drunken adventures with Bacchus, they had ended up sleeping together and she recounted that he had said she was good enough to eat, and then proceeded to... Oh Gods!

A blush sped up her neck and over her face. Is _that_ what he meant? Surely not. Their last encounter had been so amateur, so obviously inexperienced. How would _Natsu_ know about something like that? And if he _did_ know about it… would he even….

Lucy took several deep, shaky breaths. "Okay" she mused aloud. "I'm sure you're reading too far into it. I'm _sure_ he doesn't want to... to..."

"Luce, who are you talking to?" A voice at the bathroom door spoke.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Natsu?! What are you doing here?"

"Came for the shower. Yours is way better than mine. I think Happy's fur in the drain has actually started moving."

Lucy rolled her eyes and grabbed for a towel. "Alright, alright. Just don't mess up my shower." She said, slightly agitated.

She threw on a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt and opened the bathroom door. "All yo-" She stopped mid-sentence as she saw Natsu in front of her.

He had stripped everything down to his boxers and ever-present scarf, and stood there, seemingly oblivious to the effect his state of undress was having on her. Her eyes briefly trailed down his body, over his shoulders and abdominals and down his well-defined legs, before she looked back at his face, flustered.

He grinned at her. "Thanks Luce, won't be long."

Lucy murmured a response as he disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

She pulled at her twin tails in frustration. What was he trying to do to her? There was so many mixed signals! He hadn't told her he felt any differently, but he was _acting_ differently. He had done this sort of thing before- rocking up to her house and asking to use the shower- but he'd never looked so cocky. He'd never looked like he was… winning something.

"He's doing it on purpose, you know." A voice came from across the room.

Lucy spun on her heel to find Happy sitting on the table, looking at her with a knowing expression.

Lucy let go of her hair and raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, Happy?"

"I heard him sleep-talking to himself last night." Happy said, moving to stand.

"What did he say?" Lucy questioned, a frown spreading over her face.

Happy shrugged nonchalantly "Few things. Something about how he loves teasing you?" He paused for a moment and frowned. "Though if anything, he seems to making fun of you less these days."

Realization hit Lucy like a ton of bricks. So she _wasn't_ reading too far into things. There was a reason for her to feel so hot and bothered; Natsu had been toying with her. She smirked at Happy, a plan for a sweetly delicious revenge formulating in her head.

"Happy, I need to have a private _talk_ with Natsu when he gets out of the shower. Are you able to give us some time together?"

Happy cocked his head and frowned. "But I need to have a shower too!"

Lucy sighed and walked over to her pantry, picking out a large salmon. "If you go have a shower at Wendy's dorm room, I'll give you this to eat."

Happy's face lit up like a Christmas tree and he flew happily over to her and snatched the fish out of her hands. "Aye! See you later, Lucy!"

Lucy watched Happy fly out the window before she grinned to herself. This was going to be _fun._ It was about time for her sex appeal to make a much needed appearance. Natsu wasn't the only one who knew how to articulate a plan with a maiden as bait! She jogged over to her dresser, rummaging through her clothes. She picked out a small black skirt and a white tank top, putting them on quickly as she heard the water stop. She looked at herself in the mirror, before grinning slyly and removing her bra from under her shirt. She shook her chest lightly to have it sit comfortably in the tank top and nodded. She took her hair out of twin-tales and mussed it slightly, pleased with the overall sultry result. Lucy chuckled lightly to herself as she walked over to her bed, directly across from the bathroom. She got into position on her knees, pretending to look for something under her bed as she heard Natsu leave the bathroom.

"Whew! That feels so much…" Natsu stopped mid-sentence and stared, unbelieving eyes conveying his shock.

Lucy wriggled out of her provocative position and sat on her knees, turning her head to see Natsu. "Oh! Sorry, I was just looking for something I thought I lost under the bed!" she said innocently.

Natsu nodded, wide-eyed, unable to formulate any sensible sentences.

Although she hadn't been looking for anything, she _had_ seen a pair of underwear under her bed. A thin, lacey red pair that looked like they would barely cover the important aspects. She dangled them in front of him, an innocent grin on her lips. "Found it!"

Natsu remained wide eyed and gulped nervously. "That's, uh … good, Lucy." He said, prying his eyes away from the dangling underwear in front of him and nervously tugging at the towel he was wearing.

Lucy smirked, this was working even quicker than she had anticipated. So this is why Natsu was so happy to watch her fall apart in from of him. The sensation of seeing how far she could push the situation was absolutely electrifying.

"So Natsu, what would you like to do now?" Lucy asked lowly as she sat herself on the bed.

Natsu had stayed in the same position, hand fiddling with the towel. His previous cockiness left him, and he looked completely out of his depth. Unaware of any other course of actions, he shook his head.

"No? No _what_ , Natsu." Lucy purred. "Are you feeling okay? Maybe you need to lie down." She said, patting the bed next to her.

Natsu gulped and shuffled reluctantly over to the bed, mumbling about how he didn't really feel that bad, just a little light headed. He plonked himself down next to her and paused, subtly sniffing the air.

Her scent had changed. He jerked his head to her and raised an eyebrow. Lucy was looking at him, a smug grin on her face. The way she had splayed herself out on the bed, so close to him but not actually touching was impossibly frustrating. Her change in behavior and scent was confusing. He hadn't done anything to warrant this change since he came out of the shower.

Lucy leant in close to his hear and whispered. "You know, I heard from a little bird-cat that you like teasing people, Natsu."

A bird-cat had told her? Happy? When had Happy heard him say something like that? He didn't remember saying anything like that out loud. He had thought to himself as he was having a late night 'session' that he loved teasing her, but surely he hadn't actually _said_ it?

Confusion must have been plastered all over Natsu's face, as Lucy giggled against his neck, her hot breath sending a shiver up his spine.

"Happy told me that you've loved teasing me the last few days." She said as she let her lips brush his neck. "So I thought it fair to return the favor."

Oh. Shit. Happy _had_ heard, and then relayed it to Lucy. Natsu wasn't entirely sure about how he felt with these new developments. On the one hand, having Lucy tease him was frustratingly delicious, but on the other hand, perhaps going straight to the goal would be a better idea. Natsu's mind cog-wheeled, as he tried to come up with a reasonable solution.

He quickly realised it was out of his control, as he felt Lucy slide his muffler off his shoulders and down his back. He shuddered slightly at her fingers gracing his sides, slight scratches electrifying his skin. Lucy kissed languidly across his shoulders as she brought his arms around behind his back and gently tied them together with his muffler. Natsu had rolled his neck to allow Lucy better access to his shoulders and let his eyes flutter closed as he reveled in the attention he was receiving from her.

His eyes snapped open when he felt Lucy straddle him, legs either side of his hips, and push him down onto the mattress. His confused eyes met her lust-filled own as he watched a smirk creep across her lips.

"What to do first, I wonder." Lucy said, tapping a finger to her lower lip in question. "I really should be punishing you for all the frustration you've put me through, Natsu."

Natsu gulped, mind immediately filled with images of Lucy with a whip and very little clothing. He wriggled his arms, trying to get them to a comfortable place behind his back, but they were most certainly pinned down with little hope of release.

Lucy had never really thought of herself as an overly dominant person. She was happy to voice her opinion with her friends, and if someone pissed her off they'd know, but she wasn't a leader. She was fine with that though, she enjoyed being a part of a group where she didn't call the shots, and she was very good at following orders and carrying them out to the best of her ability. So, why, for the second time she and Natsu had been…physical… was she so interested in taking control? The first time, it had been her to initiate contact, as well as take their touching from mere caresses to something that ignited a fire in her belly. _This_ time, she'd tied Natsu up and was planning to do all sorts of sinfully desirable things. She just loved the idea of being irresistible to him, it made her feel like she was a goddess, like she was strangely powerful. As far as she could tell, Natsu seemed to enjoy being submissive to her, and letting her take the reins.

But something was bothering her. Perhaps she was wrong, perhaps he didn't enjoy being submissive to her. Maybe she was mistaking his submissiveness for consent.

Was she forcing him? She hadn't actually asked if he was okay with the whole situation. The thought made her stomach twist. She immediately withdrew herself from Natsu and stood up in front of him, arms by her side and eyes burning into him.

Natsu sat up and looked at her. "Uh." He paused. "Why'd you stop?"

Lucy bit her lower lip, frowning. "Are you sure you want to… you know… do this stuff?"

Natsu's eyebrows shot up and he let slip a snort of laughter. "Jeez, Lucy. You wait 'til this" he said, motioning to the obvious tenting below his towel. "Is happening before you ask?"

"I just don't… want you to feel like you have to…" Lucy replied softly, preoccupied with her worry.

Natsu paused before replying "Untie me, Lucy."

Lucy nodded solemnly, taking it as a withdrawal of his consent. She pulled at the knots she made in his muffler and let it fall off his wrists. Natsu flexed his wrists and stretched his arms, smiling gently at her, before grabbing her by the hips and pulling her onto him.

"Mmm, that's better." He purred as he placed a kiss at her neck.

Lucy pulled away, surprised ather perceived change in Natsu. "What? What are you doing _now_?"

Natsu smiled and leant forward into her, placing more kisses along the juncture between her jaw and neck. "I'm kissing you, you weirdo."

Lucy began to speak before Natsu cut her off. "I don't want to lose you." Another kiss. "I'm so confused that someone could make me feel this way." A nip to her jawbone. "You're courageous, loyal, a warrior. You're so amazing."

"Natsu, I-"

Natsu placed a finger to her mouth. "Shut up." He traced it along her lips gently and continued. "I want to kiss you all day. I want my mouth..."he said, kissing her neck again. "All over your body."

Lucy shuddered at his words, feeling his finger still on her lower lip. "I don't get it. Why did you tease me so much?"

Natsu pulled back from her neck and grinned wickedly. "I _love_ to watch you squirm."

He moved his finger from her lower lip and slid it inside her mouth, staring into her eyes intently.

Lucy, although surprised at his change in demeanor, smiled slyly at him. She took his finger in her hands and slid it into her mouth, tongue swirling over it.

Natsu's mouth opened slightly, a small grin playing on the corner of his mouth as she watched her suck on his finger. It was so warm in her mouth and the sensation of her tongue running over his finger was putting much more lustful thoughts into his head. He began to withdraw his finger slowly, relishing how her lips gave a slight 'pop' at the release.

"Perhaps it's _your_ turn to squirm, Natsu." Lucy said, shuffling off his lap. She pushed his chest once again to encourage him to lay on the bed, and rested between on her knees between his legs.

Natsu hadn't been able to allow himself to lay completely flat on the bed, too mesmerized by the possibilities of Lucy so close to the tenting under his towel. He decided on resting on his elbows as he intently watched her pull away the towel.

Lucy grinned and bit her lip as she watched Natsu's manhood spring forth. In the same way as their last encounter, she ran a single finger over his length, and enjoyed the shudder he emitted from such a small gesture. She stole a look at Natsu, who was watching her finger intently. He looked a lot less nervous this time. In fact, he looked like something primal had clawed its way into his conscious. His lustful look had made her even more hot and bothered, and she squeezed her thighs together to relieve some of the building pressure she felt. Lucy wrapped her hand around Natsu's length and squeezed gently. Natsu groaned in response, but his eyes never left her working hands.

Lucy decided she needed to do something about his stare. Perhaps she needed to do something to make his eyes roll back in his head, instead. She licked her lips and locked her eyes on Natsu. With her hand still grasping the base of Natsu's member, she poked her tongue out of her mouth, and ran it flat from the base all the way to the tip.

Natsu's eyes had immediately left Lucy's hands and found her eyes instead. He gulped as she looked at him, a smoky, sensual look in her eyes. As soon as her tongue reached the tip of his member, his eye twitched and he screwed them shut with a groan. Lucy smirked to herself, enjoying the reaction, and decided to repeat her actions.

Natsu's head lolled back on his shoulders as his hand reached out and palmed its way through her hair. He had never experienced a sensation so purely sexual, the feeling of Lucy's tongue along him creating a heated need to touch more than just her hair.

Lucy enjoyed Natsu's hands roaming over her hair and across her cheeks. She found his movements became even more erratic as she slipped her mouth over the tip of his member into her mouth and popped it out again. The moan that erupted from Natsu's lips was positively sinful, and his elbows were no longer able to support his weight on the mattress. He let himself flop down, enjoying the simple gestures of Lucy's wet lips around him, hands coming to rest on her cheeks as he felt her dip down and up on him.

Natsu began to feel a familiar coil in his stomach, it was building rapidly. At the very last second, he withdrew his hands from her face, sitting himself up on his elbows.

"Wait, wait." He murmured, breaths coming shakily. "If you keep going…"

Lucy nodded at him, leaving a languid lick as she withdrew her mouth, enjoying Natsu's corresponding jolt.

Natsu raked his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. "Jeez."

Lucy smirked and shuffled her way up to him, kissing his lips lightly. She lay herself on her side, hand supporting her head, watching Natsu as he regained his composure. He took a deep breath and looked at his twitching, slick member.

" _That was close"_ Natsu thought to himself.

He felt bewildered at having come so, _so_ close, only to have stopped it himself. Part of him regretted it, the other part was somewhat relieved. All in all though, he felt agitated. He let himself flop down on the bed, hands covering his eyes as he groaned.

"Why didn't you just… ya' know… finish?" Lucy questioned, still watching him.

Natsu removed his hands from his eyes and raised an eyebrow at her. "Igneel raised me to be a gentleman, ya' know. Even _I_ know "ladies first"."

Lucy couldn't stop the blush spreading quickly across her cheeks as she looked at Natsu, who had said something so… insinuating… so casually.

"So, ladies first." Natsu repeated, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Lucy found herself at a loss for both words and actions. It was… almost awkward having him bring it up so casually. Like he was holding the door open for her, instead of talking about being intimate. She remained where she was, resting her head on her hand and looking at him, confusion across her features.

Natsu picked up on her hesitation, and moved in to seal her lips in a kiss. It was simple like their previous kisses, as to be expected from two people who had not kissed anyone else before. He gently pushed her so she was laying on her back with Natsu hovering above her, slowly placing warm kisses on her lips.

Lucy felt herself melt into Natsu's lips against hers, as they began to slowly pick up the pace of their kisses. Natsu's hands began to roam across her body, flitting from her face, to her breasts, and then running down the length of her thigh. Their kisses became more intense as Natsu's touches grew more passionate.

The kisses became faster, more rushed, and when Natsu felt Lucy open her mouth slightly and pulse her tongue against his lips, he could no longer tolerate the lightheaded feeling and reciprocated, sliding his tongue out to meet hers. Their lips closed over each other's once again as their tongues rolled together ardently.

Lucy was absolutely loving the feeling of her tongue connecting with Natsu's, and although their teeth clicked together, the inexperience of 'making out' as Cana had called it, was completely lost on them. She loved feeling Natsu's hands wander over her body, under her tank top and down her legs. Lucy ran her hands down his muscular back and scratched lightly before breaking away from the kiss.

She pushed Natsu backwards and sat up slightly, grabbing the ends of her tank top and pulling it quickly over her head. For a moment, Lucy felt exposed, but seeing Natsu's eyes darken and a toothy grin appear on his face made her feel more desirable than vulnerable.

Taking Lucy's state of undress as a cue, Natsu lay her back down, and began to kiss her once again. He started at her neck, and quickly worked his way to her breasts, placing fiery, skin-prickling nips and kisses over her ample chest, eliciting silky mewls from his partner. He flicked his tongue over her nipples, before engulfing them in his mouth and sucking them gently. He eventually released them with a 'pop' as Lucy moaned silkily. Natsu allowed his hands to wander further down her body and snake underneath her skirt, enjoying the shudder and whimper Lucy let escape when his fingers grazed over the wetness on her panties.

Natsu sat up and looked at her. "Can I take this off?" He said, motioning to her skirt.

Lucy smiled slightly. "Be my guest."

Natsu raked his hands down her sides and caught the waistband of her skirt in his fingers, pulling it down and catching her panties with it. He shuffled them both down her legs and discarded them at the end of the bed.

It was with Lucy's panties off that Natsu's senses were overloaded with Lucy's scent. Her arousal was so potent, it was sending Natsu towards insanity. He was overcome by the sudden urge to bury his face in her, taste her and be closer to her. He shuffled down her body and pushed her knees apart, coming face to face with Lucy's core and nipped gently at her inner thigh. Lucy responded with a breathy sigh that turned into a moan as she felt Natsu kiss her arousal.

It was then and there that Lucy decided that Natsu's mouth was a thousand times better than her hand or any other 'toys' she had acquired. She opened her eyes to watch Natsu take the first dizzying step towards licking as he stick his tongue out and flatly dragged it across her aching core. She choked out a moan and felt her eyes flutter closed again.

Natsu had never experienced anything like this before. It was slick, warm, a little salty and altogether intoxicating. He quickly moved from experimental licks to lapping her with his tongue in an effort to sate his desire for her scent. He groaned an "mmmm", unable to stop himself from verbally appreciating her taste.

He felt Lucy's hands begin to rake through his hair, and he noticed that at times, instead of raking, her hands would pull bunches of hair before letting them go again. Natsu also noticed that in line with pulling his hair, a ragged moan would escape her lips, instead of simple, breathy sighs. He experimented, swirling his tongue around her, inside her and over her in an attempt to increase her moans. He noted, with some satisfaction, that Lucy's loudest moans came when he palmed his tongue over a little nub towards the top of her. He began to focus his ministrations at that spot, and flicked his tongue over it repeatedly, increasing in speed as Lucy's breathy moans became higher pitched and faster.

"N-Nat-" Another moan. "Natsu. F-fingers too." Lucy purred.

Natsu looked up from playing with Lucy's wetness with a questioning look. "Um…" he began.

Lucy huffed out a breath and grabbed his left hand, selecting his first two fingers and pushing the rest down. She then directed them to her core and placed them at her entrance. "There…" she said, withdrawing her hand.

Natsu looked at his fingers and then back to Lucy. She had already lay down again, and was obviously waiting for him to continue. Slowly, he pushed his fingers inside her, to Lucy's shuddering moan. He pulled them out again, enjoying the slick feeling of Lucy's arousal against him; he felt like she was practically dripping as he slid his fingers back into her. He picked up a leisurely rhythm as he watched Lucy with awe, fascinated at how something so simple was making her writhe beneath him.

"T-tongue." Lucy said huskily.

Natsu complied, and began licking at that spot that had her squirming and moaning. If he thought he was doing well before, the addition of his fingers made him feel like he was conquering an army. Lucy's hands had once again found his hair and were tugging at it with reckless abandon as her voice turned from moans to whimpers and her back began to arch off the bed.

"Ohhh" she breathed. "Yes, yes there. _Don't stop, please_ ".

With a few more well timed flicks of his tongue, Natsu felt Lucy's body stiffen, and a long low, shuddering moan erupt from her lips. Lucy felt herself dissolve into pleasure as the white heat that had built inside her finally exploded. Natsu slowed down his ministrations as he felt Lucy's body relax and her breath resolve from it's pants and puffs.

She tossed an arm over her eyes and groaned. "That…." She sighed. "Was amazing, Natsu."

Natsu looked at his arousal soaked fingers and put them to his lips as he licked them clean. He grinned to himself, making a mental note to sate his cravings for her more often. Natsu trundled up the bed and flopped next to her, toying gently with her golden hair.

Lucy flopped her arm off her eyes and smiled lazily at Natsu. "I didn't know you… could do that." She said.

Natsu grinned proudly as he twirled a piece of her hair. "Dragon instincts, Luce. Never been a time they haven't been right."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "So, what are they saying now?"

Natsu looked at her for a moment before answering. "They're saying…" he paused. "That…"

Lucy looked at him expectantly.

"I've gotta go fix this." Natsu said, motioning to his still throbbing erection. "Be right back!" He grinned as he began to roll off the bed.

Lucy grabbed his hand. "Wait. You could just…. You know… let me take care of it for you." She purred.

Natsu was torn. He really, _really_ wanted to let her finish him off, but she looked like she had just run a marathon. "Ah... you look a lil' tired, Lucy…" he trailed.

Lucy smirked at him. "I'm a mage, Natsu. I can _definitely_ handle a pounding." She replied with a wink.

Lucy pulled at his hand to lead him back to bed, and Natsu apprehensively submitted, laying back down on the bed. Lucy rolled over to her bedside table.

"Just gotta get some of this." She murmured, reaching into the drawers and pulling out a small bottle.

"What is it?" Natsu questioned.

"L-lube." Lucy stuttered. "You know… for first times…"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "First times for what?"

Lucy paused, mouth slightly agape at his nativity. "Sex, Natsu."

Natsu swallowed thickly, suddenly realizing the implications. "I uh." He paused. "Are you sure?"

Natsu couldn't help the pleading in his mind. He desperately _wanted_ her to be sure. The awakened part of him was overrun with the desire to bury himself inside her and make her his.

Lucy smiled. "I wouldn't be doing this." She purred as she positioned herself on top of him. "If I wasn't sure."

Natsu nodded, before harshly sucking in a breath and grabbing the sheets as Lucy took a hold of his member. She poured some lubricant into her hand and stroked him gently a few times, coating his shaft in the sticky substance. Then, she positioned herself above his member and dragged it slowly across her entrance.

"Okay." She breathed as she slowly lowered herself onto him. Lucy and Natsu groaned in unison as she sat down on him. He slid inside her easily, and Lucy took a few short moments to adjust to his size and girth. Natsu's hands had immediately flown to her thighs, and they gripped with an intensity she had not realised he was capable of. She found there was no pain, quickly and quietly grateful to Cana for her extensive ramblings about sex and the importance of lubricant.

As she felt Natsu be completely engulfed in her wetness, she splayed her hands on his chest. She huffed as she lifted her hips off him before setting down again, breasts bouncing slightly with her movement. She repeated her actions, growing accustomed to the feeling of Natsu sporadically pulsing inside her and his twitching thighs. It was slow going, but the sheer intimacy of bobbing lightly on Natsu and watching his face contort in delight was positively delicious.

To say Natsu was enjoying their current tryst was a complete understatement. He felt as he was drowning in pleasure, completely overwhelmed by the blood boiling passion of their intimacy. He almost felt as he was going to climax as soon as Lucy buried himself in her, but he bit his lip hard and focused on controlling his ragged breathing. His slipped his hips up to meet hers, discovering a delicious rhythms with her that caused her to shudder and groan as she melted into him.

He really felt he wasn't going to last long. He opened his eyes again to see Lucy on top of him. Her hair was starting to stick to her forehead, and her chest and cheeks were flushed with redness. He moved his eyes downwards and found her breasts. They were bouncing in rhythm of their motions, and he couldn't stop himself from reaching up and groping them haphazardly. Lucy let out a particularly delicious moan at his touch, and before he knew it, Natsu's body had stiffened in pre-climatic bliss.

He truly felt that the Earth had stopped spinning on its axis for just a few moments as he let out a throaty groan and emptied himself inside her. His climax came in shockwaves, and he felt Lucy gasp at his last few panicked thrusts as he fought between continuing and letting himself go. Feeling his ragged breaths slow, he ran his hands up and down her sides tenderly, remaining inside her.

"Mmmmm." He whined contentedly. " _That_ was amazing."

Lucy hummed her agreement as she pushed on his chest, slowly levering herself off him. They both sighed as they felt Natsu leave her, relinquishing the last bit of their love-making session.

Lucy lay herself next to him, feeling her face flushed and mind lightly buzzing. She hadn't climaxed, but she had enjoyed it immensely none the less, and loved that her partner had achieved his satisfaction after spending so long pleasuring her. She looked at Natsu, his already messy hair completely mussed and his cheeks tinged with a light dusting of pink. The longer she looked at him, the more her opinion of him developed. She had always loved him as a friend, but perhaps… perhaps there was something more to this feeling. She internally shrugged, deciding to put that thought away for another time. All she knew, was that there wasn't anyone else she could imagine being so intimately entwined with, both physically and mentally.

She was brought from her thoughts by Natsu tossing his arm over her waist and nuzzling into her neck, the post-love euphoria evident in his boneless demeanor.

"We're still partners, right?" He hummed at her neck.

Lucy giggled lightly. "This again? I told you, we're still best friends."

Natsu lifted his head and looked at her. "Do best friends really do-" he motioned to their naked bodies. "This?"

Lucy bit her lip. "Well…" she couldn't find any real explanation.

"We're still guild mates, and best friends…" Natsu began. "But you're different from everyone else. Special."

Lucy's cheeks burned lightly at his words, still unsure of what to say.

"Luce?"

"Mmm?" Lucy hummed.

"If that slant-eyed bastard ever comes near you, tell him I'll kill him, okay?" Natsu said.

Lucy raised her eyebrows and sat up from him, completely caught off guard. "Huh?!"

"Or anyone. Don't let anyone near you. I'll kill them too." He said resolutely.

"Natsu! I have to go near people, we do jobs together, remember?"

Lucy placed a finger on Natsu's mouth as he began to speak. "I don't plan on doing this with anyone other than you, Natsu. Don't worry."

Natsu looked at her intently for a few moments before grinning widely. "Alright!"

Lucy settled herself back down next to him and cuddled into his side, letting herself lull into a post-pleasure sleep as Natsu did the same beside her.

She didn't understand her feelings or how they had managed to begin a physical relationship without any courting process or verbal confessions of attraction. As much as Lucy was confused about her feelings, she was sure Natsu was in the same situation. He had even _told_ her he didn't understand what was happening, just that he wanted her, only her.

So there they were. Two confused guild mates, best friends and most recently lovers. Perhaps they were confused and unsure but this- what they had right at this moment- this was okay. For now.

* * *

 **Hey Guys!**

 **Thanks for hanging around for this colossal** **chapter of smut! Totally Porn Without Plot, so I apologize for that. This is only my second time writing smut, so I'm not sure if it's adequate; I'm quite happy for some constructive criticism!**

 **As always, first times are a little awkward, and I hope that I did justice for a 'first time' fic. Remember, if you're considering having sex for the first time, lots of work up and lubricant will make it a much more enjoyable experience for both of you, regardless of the gender of your partner :).**

 **I wanted to include safe sex in there somewhere, but it was just too difficult for my amateur writer's brain to include! But remember; safe sex always!**

 **Hope it was okay for you guys :)! I hope I'm not being too needy, but please review if you have some time! If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to shoot me a PM!**

 **Also, this pretty much wraps up this fic (unless I get some inspiration further down the line), but I do have another fic in the works. It's a reincarnation NALU one :). Sounds stupid, but I think it'll be pretty cool if I can work out how to write it! Do let me know if you're interested!**

 **Have a lovely night!**

 **Ella xo**


	3. Natsu's Lament

Natsu sighed heavily and looked up at the night sky. Usually, he loved the missions that lead him into the wilderness and forced him to camp out under the stars, but this time… he felt strange. Uncomfortable. Like he didn't have his head in the game. Truthfully, he had felt like this for a couple of days, since Lucy had said something after their third rendezvous at her apartment. She had looked at him squarely as they were lying in bed, and asked what he would do if she wanted to go out on a date with someone. He had raised his eyebrow and frowned at her, immediately voicing his disapproval. Something along the lines of "If anyone touches you, I'll kill them."

An all-out fight had erupted between them, then. Lucy had said that wasn't fair, that she could technically date whoever she wanted, and Natsu had responded by saying that she said she would only do "sex stuff" as he called it, with him. Lucy had scowled and said "you can't tell me what to do."

Lots of arguing had occurred after that; lots of frustrated sentences that didn't make sense, references to Fairy Tail being a guild that never quits, and a half assed attempt at getting Lucy to simmer down which culminated in Natsu trying to kiss her. He had been kicked out of her apartment soon after, his vest, shoes and scarf bundled in his arms and pants hastily pulled on.

They hadn't talked since then. Lucy avoided him at every opportunity, and at the times she had seen him, she would scowl and turn on her heel, walking off in the other direction. Natsu was conflicted with her reactions; she never held grudges like this! His emotions were crossed between frustration, confusion and a strange, small niggling feeling that he couldn't describe. Something like regret perhaps? It felt stronger than that, and trying to put a word to it was too difficult for his conflicted mind to fathom.

The strange situation between Natsu and Lucy had the rest of the guild puzzled and slightly on edge. They were as confused as Natsu, unsure of what to do when the two were separated. Happy had thankfully been away with his fellow Fairy Tail felines, visiting the Exceeds. Natsu really couldn't even pretend to put on a happy face for his best friend.

It was after three days of Natsu and Lucy's awkward avoidance that Mira had shuffled a job request under Natsu's nose as he sat at the bar.

"A job a couple of hours travel away! It's such a good reward too! But the job seems to require three men." Mira paused and looked away, innocently. "Perhaps you could take Gray and Gajeel with you, Natsu!"

Natsu looked at her pointedly. "As if I'd go on a mission with just those two bastards." He downed the rest of his drink. "A slant-eyed bastard and metal breath? No thanks."

He was promptly hit on the back of his head with something hard, causing him to stand angrily from his stool and yell obscenities. He was met with Gajeel's Iron arm again, thumping him squarely on the top of his head.

"Shut up, Salamander. The reward's good, and your moping is driving us crazy." Gajeel roused. Natsu began to reply, but was cut off. "We've already accepted it. So lets get going."

Natsu felt his anger bubbling. "You can't just accept a job without telling me! What if I don't want to go?"

Gray stood up, making his presence known. "Gajeel is right, your moping is annoying. We're going, and you're coming."

Natsu was about to respond, something about his rights and 'fuck you guys', but was interrupted by a hand clamping down on his shoulder and a firm, commanding voice behind him.

"You should go, Natsu. It will be good for you."

Oh, shit. Erza. He didn't even have to look around to see who it was. He knew that voice, and he knew that grasp. He also knew better than to argue with the red-headed warrior.

"Aye!" He said, as he tore out of the guild, dragging Gray and Gajeel with him to their adventure.

The three boys quickly packed a satchel each with a roll up bed and a few other necessities before heading off together. Gray had decided on taking the train to their destination, as they had already wasted enough time in getting there. This had resulted in the two Dragon Slayers moping around sickly on the train, and Gray trying his very best to disassociate himself from them by looking idly out the window. They arrived in the town, completed the job- removing a base of operation of a Dark Guild- and collected their reward, all before dark. Gray had suggested taking the train back, but both Gajeel and Natsu darkly disagreed, and the decision was made to walk home instead. Gray tried to reason that it would take at least 6 hours of walking to arrive home, but the Dragon Slayers had made up their minds, and in a two against one standoff, Gray eventually relented, and agreed to walk.

After picking up some refreshments and food for the trip, they set off. They walked off into the afternoon sun, talking, arguing and squabbling amongst themselves about anything and everything. As the sun began to set, Natsu had ignited a small flame from his hand and lit their way from twilight into darkness. Finally, when the moon was high in the night sky and their stomachs were starting to rumble, Gray had suggested stopping for the night. They agreed, set up a fire and campsite and ate their fill of dinner in quite companionship. Then, they set up their sleeping bags and lay themselves down, with grunts for goodnight biddings.

The fire continued, crackling softly in the background as they lay waiting for sleep to encompass their bodies. And this had brought Natsu to his current predicament, staring to the stars and contemplating his situation.

He let out a large sigh, and ran a hand through his hair.

"What is it, Natsu?" Gray said tetchily from the silence.

"What? What are you talking about, you icy pervert?" Natsu responded crankily, snapped from his thoughts.

"You've been sighing over there for god only knows how long. It's pissing me off."

Gajeel hummed in agreement as he stretched his arms and looked over to the arguing pair.

Natsu huffed. "Nothing's wrong. Can't a guy breathe without someone giving him shit?"

Gajeel sighed heavily and sat up from his sleeping bag. "Look. You can either talk about the issues you and Bunny Girl are having, or you can keep pouting like a baby."

Natsu snapped his attention to Gajeel. "How do _you_ know Lucy and I are having issues?"

In the corner, Gray snickered lightly, and Gajeel paused and stared at the pink haired Dragon Slayer. "Really? You've been moping around since you two stopped having sex."

Natsu's mouth fell open and his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. A blush sped across his cheeks and he stuttered a reply. "I- what? How…"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Firstly, I could smell it from a mile away. Disgusting" He said, wrinkling his nose. "Secondly, girls talk to girls, stupid."

"Lucy wouldn't tell you something like that, you asshole!" Natsu replied angrily.

"Does he look like a girl to you, you idiot?" Gray said, throwing a hand toward Gajeel. "He obviously met Levy."

Gajeel nodded. "Right."

Natsu looked at the two men pointedly. "Look. It's really confusing, okay? I don't even know what the hell is going!" He felt the frustration creep into the forefront of his mind again, and run a hand over his face.

"You said she couldn't date other people." Gray said, finally sitting up in his sleeping bag and resting his elbows on his knees.

Natsu flung his hands in the air. "Ugh, how does _everyone_ know? So what, anyway! She said she only wants to do sex stuff with _me._ What's the point of dating someone else? I'm enough anyway!"

Gajeel ran a hand firmly over his face. "What an ego." He murmured. "Firstly, don't call it 'sex stuff' again. Secondly, you can't tell girls what to do. That pisses them off."

"How am _I_ supposed to know that?" Natsu said, crossing his arms resolutely over his chest. "Lucy lets me tell her what to do when we go on missions, why is this any different?"

Gray sneered at Natsu's comment. "How have you got this far being so stupid? You're her _team-mate,_ Natsu. She can date whoever she wants."

Natsu's eyes squinted at Gray. "No. She can't."

Gray was about to bite back a reply, before Gajeel waved a hand in his direction. "Alright, listen up you little shit." Natsu began to respond but was cut off. "You were raised by a dragon, right?"

"Yeah, so were you. What of it?"

Gajeel sighed deeply in an attempt to relieve his rage. "Dragons are different from humans, they do things differently. But because of Metalicana and Igneel, and the way they raised us, we're pretty much dragons in human bodies."

Natsu blinked slowly, confusion clouding his features. "I guess. And?" he said, motioning with his hand.

"And." Gajeel paused to stretch his arms. "Dragons are animalistic. They're possessive, guarded. They don't have sex, they mate. And when they _do_ mate, they mate for life."

Natsu grimaced. "I know about mating, you don't have to explain it."

"Do you actually know?" Gajeel started. "Because they way you're going, you're going to mate with Bunny Girl."

Gray piped up. "You guys are fucking weird. It's not mating, it's sex. Ya know, for fun?"

"Tough talk from someone who's never had sex." Gajeel replied curtly.

"Look who's talking, tin man."

And with that, began an interlude between the Ice Maker mage and the Iron Dragon Slayer. Comments about hair, and "she's throwing herself at you and you won't even do anything!" among thinly veiled threats and cusses.

Natsu had been surprisingly quiet during their argument, a frown plastered on his face as he looked at the ground. "So… that means… I'm the only one who's had sex here…"

Gajeel and Gray stopped mid-sentence and looked at the pinkette, hearing his statement over their bickering. Natsu rose his gaze from the ground and grinned widely at them, a chuckle interrupting his voice. He stretched his arms out behind his head and folded them there. "Virgins."

Incensed, Gajeel and Gray leapt from their sleeping bags and strode over to Natsu, both grabbing him by the collar.

"Shut up." Gray spat. "At least I know what I'm doing!"

Gajeel nodded, tugging harshly at Natsu's collar. "Yeah, we're not the ones moping around because now we can't get laid anymore."

Natsu's face snapped to a frown. "I don't care about that!" He said, pulling his collar out of their grips savagely. "I just don't want her doing it with anyone else!"

Gray raised a fist, ready to punch Natsu. "You don't get to tell her what she can and can't do! That's _her_ choice!" His pulled his fist down, connecting it with Natsu's head.

Natsu growled. "I'm her best friend, I should be able to tell her that stuff!" He said, beckoning fire to his hands. He swung at Gray with fire laden fists, making contact with his cheek.

"I don't want her to do it with anyone else because she should only want to do it with _me_!" He yelled, throwing his flaming arms into the air.

Gray was about to respond with his fists, when he felt Gajeel's hand rest heavily on his shoulder. A pause enveloped the air as Gajeel and Gray looked at Natsu, flaming and ready for another fight.

"I don't want to sound cheesy, Salamander. But you're in love with Bunny Girl."

Natsu let out a primal roar as he let his flames extinguish. He marched up to Gajeel and looked straight into his eyes. "You think I don't know that?"

Gajeel paused, and Gray coughed loudly. "You….know?"

Natsu looked up at them, scowling. "Of course I know. I'm not _that_ stupid." He pulled at his hair in frustration. "I'm going for a walk."

With that, he walked between his guild mates and into the dark of the forest. Gray and Gajeel looked at each other, shrugged, and returned to their sleeping bags.

"Oi, Ice Princess." Gajeel grunted.

Gray rolled his eyes, facing away from Gajeel. "What."

"D'ya reckon he's okay?"

Gray paused for a moment, considering both the question and Natsu. "Yeah."

Satisfied with the answer, Gajeel rolled in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to fall over him.

* * *

Natsu wandered out into the forest, letting his instincts lead him wherever they wanted to take him. He eventually ended up next to a river, and sat himself down as he watched the water swirl along the banks as it travelled downstream.

He sighed heavily and flopped himself back against the grass, allowing himself to take a look at the stars. He had never really paid too much attention to the stars, they were just another part of the wonder of the great outdoors, but since he had met Lucy, he started to notice them. On the return of one mission, when he had convinced her to sleep in the forest instead of a hotel, she took the time to point out the constellations that made up her Celestial Spirits. She had only been able to point out three or four, and explained that the rest couldn't be seen at this time of year, but she promised to show them to him as the seasons went by.

The stars reminded him of her, now. They were so bright for their size, so many different types of them and the way they appeared night after night always made him think of her.  
She had carved her way in Fairy Tail with sheer determination, and though she was not the strongest, she was just as determined as any of them to do what was right, just and fair. When he first met her, he was sure she was some silly little girl, but she had displayed her bravery, tenacity, gentleness and kindness more times than he could count, and she always matched herself perfectly to the situations. She was always there for everyone, doing whatever she could, however she could, so that she would be useful. She was dependable, reliable and… just so amazing.

He had known he felt love for her from the moment they went on their first job. It was familial love, warm and encompassing; the same love he felt for everyone in the guild. The more time he spent with her, the more warmth and happiness he felt, to the point that he was happy to go over to her house to be with her, something he did irregularly with the other guild members.

It was around this time, that he started spending more time at Lucy's house and seeking her company more than the rest of his family that young Romeo had sat next to him and said something unusual. "Natsu, why is Lucy so special to you?"

He had been stumped with that. He had paused and frowned, running the question over in his head, but couldn't come up with a good enough answer. He had placated the boy with a shrug, a toothy grin and "I guess because we're team mates!"

The small, two sentence dialogue he had with Romeo that day had plagued him for months, now. _Was_ she that special? Why? Natsu had figured out that he felt differently about her to everyone else, but couldn't put an explanation to it. Was it simply because they were team mates? He knew he loved everyone in the guild, but why was the feeling he had for Lucy so… different.

All he knew was that he wanted to be with her all the time. Be close to her, share with her and spend his time with her. He had never been scared of feelings, and this was no different, but he _did_ find himself confused. Frustratingly so. So much _more_ frustrated once he figured out that sleeping next to Lucy at night gave him deliciously naughty dreams. Dreams where he would touch her, taste her, please her. Dreams that were certainly not the run-of-the-mill dreams about fighting and finding Igneel he was used to. Dreams that would leave him hot and bothered when he awoke, craving their reality.

It was around the time that these enchanting dreams manifested themselves that Natsu found himself becoming more and more protective of Lucy. He found that his battles were so much more intense when he felt Lucy was in danger, and his desire to protect her outweighed any sense of safety for himself or anyone else.

However, it wasn't until his small, blue friend had said "You liiiiiiike her" in his knowing way, that Natsu had stopped to consider that as an option.

The more he considered it, the more he realised, with some apprehension, that he was indeed having 'those' sorts of feelings for his team mate. The more he examined them, the more he realised it was not something so small as a crush (like the one he perceived Loke to have on every female). It was more… like Alzack and Bisca. The feelings were deep and loyal. Infused with an inherent desire to protect and keep her safe, while making sure she was as happy as she could possibly be. He had asked Gildarts of this dilemma during one of his returns to the guild.  
The older man had simply looked at Natsu and laughed roughly, rubbing his head. "You're in love with her, kid."

Natsu was even _more_ confused. "But, I love everyone at the guild."

Gildarts leant in close to him. "How many people, besides her, do you want to…" he leant into Natsu's ear and whispered something about licking and biting and…

Natsu had pulled back from him, steaming and blushing furiously. "You pervert!"

Gildarts laughed raucously again. "The question still stands, kid! If she's the only one you want to do that with, _and_ you want to protect her, be with her and all that shit; you love her."

Natsu looked at him, wide-eyed and still blushing. "What do I do about it?"

"Whatever you want." Gildarts replied with a wink, downing the rest of his drink.

That small statement had fuelled Natsu's imagination all the more, until finally, a few weeks ago, he and Lucy had acted on the desires he had held so deeply. He remembered feeling embarrassed, self-conscious… but better than he had ever felt in his entire life.

He had known, with that expression of physical intimacy, that he loved her. He wanted to live with her, wake up to her, care for her and have a family with her. Initially, he was fine with their arrangements, casually fulfilling each other's physical desires. However, each time they fuelled their sexual tension with teasing, or took another step towards intimacy, Natsu felt that their situation that was okay "for now" was quickly reaching its end.

Then, there was the issue of mating. Sooner or later, if they kept up their patterns, he would mate with her and that would be that, they'd be together, a couple. Igneel had explained mating to him; a complex, delicate process between Dragons that created the bonds that would later produce a life.

Natsu slid a hand over his face. Mating. The process in which Dragons (and Dragon Slayers, too), would claim their partners. It was an equal ritual, where both parties involved would make a mark on the other and consume some of their blood, signifying the end of a solo journey, and the beginning of one with a partner in life, an equal. This 'blood swapping' was usually done in the throes of passion, so as to mask the pain of mixing Dragon blood, which Natsu had been told, could be rather painful. Igneel had explained this was due to the magics mixing, as each magic was unique to the caster.

Natsu had been so tempted to intertwine himself with Lucy on the occasions they had been physical, but every time he considered it, he'd reign himself in, not wishing to tackle the issue before it's time.

Perhaps the consideration of mating was what had Natsu in so much anguish when Lucy had voiced dating other people. Yes, he loved her, and yes he wanted her, but the addition of wanting to _mate_ with her… it was the first time he had ever felt it for someone. Igneel told him it would only happen for one person, too. The person chosen before time to be their mate. The notion always sounded a little too pre-ordained for Natsu, the thought of someone being _assigned_ to him. He had decided when he was younger that he would never mate, choosing to enjoy the thrill of battle, and winning, and keeping the love of his family.

But Lucy had changed that for him. He _wanted_ to be with her forever. If he thought too hard about it, he'd distress himself wondering if he had chosen her, or if she had been _assigned_ to him, instead. He preferred to think that he chose her, the universe couldn't possibly monitor everyone at once and make all those decisions, he figured. It was just unreasonable.

The more he thought of it, the more he realised that he was resigning himself to become one with her. Which he was all well and good with, but a niggling thought in the back of his mind had sparked a full-fledged panic.

 _What if Lucy didn't want him?_

He shook his head against the grass.

"Even if she never wants me." He mused. "Even if she finds someone else…" his heart twisted at the thought. "I want her to be happy, more than anything else."

He sat up and stared at the river as it swirled down past him. "Even if she can't be happy with me."

He flopped his body forward, resting it on his elbows as they dug into his crossed thighs. Natsu had always been considered an idiot savant; perfect at fighting and Fairy Tail spirit, and not much else. Despite being able to think on his feet in battle, his experience in those situations never quite translated to eradicating his naiveté in other areas of life. He was dense to the rituals of social interaction, and though being able to think quickly was a skill he had utilised before, it was often marred by his inability to keep from speaking his mind directly.

Perhaps speaking his mind would be what was needed for this situation with Lucy. He'd just be up front with her, tell her exactly how it was. "Lucy, I have to tell you something. I've chosen you as my mate. Now we have to go do sexy stuff and you bite me and I'll bite you and then we'll be mated for life. Sounds great, right!"

He bit his lip and frowned. While he liked being direct and straight forward, something told him this delicate situation would require a little more finesse.

It was becoming painfully confusing again. His mind shifted to their last encounter together, when they had tried something a little different to the first two times of Lucy being on top. She had taunted him by wiggling her plump backside at him and grinning over her shoulder. Natsu had immediately pounced on her, and began stripping his and her clothes away while grinding against her backside. It hadn't taken long before he had slipped inside her and was thrusting deeply into her, rocking both the bed and Lucy. His hands had roamed over her back, through her hair and dug into her hips as they fought desperately for release. There had been little kissing, with the exception of Natsu leaning his body over hers and placing hot, fiery kisses on her neck and shoulders. Lucy's so-far-normal demeanour of 'cool and in control' had faded when Natsu had taken control of the situation, and as her hand worked heatedly at her sensitive nub between her legs she found herself becoming a mess of whimpers and moans.

Natsu smiled slyly to himself. Their encounter had felt like hours, but had really only been a fraction of that, as they both reached their peaks. Natsu first, bucking haphazardly against her backside as he emptied himself, followed by Lucy a few short moments later, letting her head flop forwards and a low, shuddering moan escaping her lips, her fingers finally having pushed her over the edge.  
The afterglow was amazing, as well. Lucy lying down next to him, curled into his side and tracing her fingers along his physique. A lazy arm beneath her head to cushion her, as his fingers splayed gently through her locks.

She had looked up at him and smiled. "I like doing this."

"Just with me, though right?" Natsu had replied, shifting to look at her.

Lucy snickered at him. "Of course. I'm not dating at the moment, anyway."

Natsu remembered feeling a pang of jealously surge through him. He had frowned and pursed his lips. "You _can't_ date anyone else."

Lucy had paused briefly before biting back her reply. "I can date whoever I want to, Natsu. We never said this was exclusive." She shifted herself away from him, her frown rivalling his piercing gaze.

"You shouldn't _want_ to date anyone else."

Lucy raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really." She said, looking squarely at him. "And what would you do if I _did_ date someone else, Natsu?" She said, daring him to answer.

"If anyone touches you, I'll kill them."

Just remembering the words that started the argument made his head throb. He wished he hadn't said what he had so harshly. He wished he could convey how special she was to him without sounding like a possessive ass. Because really, he thought, that's what he was. Possessive. He wanted her all to himself, never to share. That notion hadn't sounded too bad, before. He didn't really see anything wrong with not sharing someone you care so passionately for. Perhaps it was analysing his feelings behind the desire to claim her that made him realise it was a little unreasonable. Or, perhaps it was those stupid morons he was doing his job with. They were the ones who pointed it out to him in such plain terms. Ugh, he'd have to thank them later. Maybe he'd go a little easier on them when it next came time to challenge them.

The fact remained, though, he needed to apologise and explain everything to Lucy. He didn't often make major mistakes, but when he did, he was always quick to rectify them. There was nothing more dishonourable than not admitting your short comings.

He flopped back down to the ground and stared at the stars again. How he loved them, now. So beautiful, so amazing. Just like his Lucy. He shook his head, cursing the language he used to describe her. Not _his_ Lucy. Just Lucy.

He'd explain everything to her, all the strange notions and difficulties. She may not want anything to do with him after, but he'd have to live with that. He'd always love Lucy, as a best friend as well as a mate. If she couldn't love him back, he could simply channel all his frustrations into being the best friend she could ever have.  
And if the time came that she found someone else she loved, he'd leave. The notion sounded extreme, but he already knew, deep down, that if she did find someone else, he'd be unable to stay. Whether it was due to jealousy, heart break or the simple inability to cope with it, he knew he wouldn't be able to stay. He wanted to desperately for her to be happy, but if she was happy with someone else, he figured he still had a responsibility to keep himself sane, too.

The thoughts of Lucy with someone else had him on edge of a rage filled panic. He took deep, steadying breaths to try and regain his composure, something he had willingly lost as he enjoyed his solitude in the wilderness. But it was time to get it back, he needed to settle himself down, to keep from going over the edge into full-fledged fury and anguish.

He moved his thoughts from Lucy with someone else to Lucy with him. Lucy at the guild hall with him, talking and joking. He imagined the look on her face when he'd try and tease her. "Careful Lucy, your drink is dripping. You'll get… wet…"  
And she'd blush furiously and stutter some semblance of a reply. He smiled to himself, he loved that part of her. She'd pay him back though, oh gods, would she ever pay him back. Taunting him with dark, heavy-lidded glances. Biting her lip when she was thinking, and locking her beautiful dark eyes with his. Bending over to pick something up, or sliding down a little too closely to him if she dropped something. She was as bad as him!

Thinking of Lucy in all those compromising situations had elected a physical response in him. He felt his hardening member in his pants and shuffled slightly. He groaned lightly at the touch of the fabric against his growing erection and palmed himself through his pants. He couldn't help his mind wondering to the erotic images of Lucy. Lucy stripping off her clothes in reckless abandon, longing to touch him. Lucy on top of him, sliding her ample bosoms against his chest, he loved that. The way her nipples would stiffen in his mouth and how she would arch her back toward him in an attempt to coax him to take more of her breasts in his mouth.  
He was well and truly hard now, and his right hand had slipped under the waistband of his pants and were languidly stroking his erection as he taunted himself with memories and fantasies of Lucy. He groaned, remembering the way she tasted, and how she would grind her hips against his mouth as he devoured her. His mouth would always be slick and wet with the taste of her, and it was truly one of his most favourite things about her.  
Natsu shuffled his pants slightly down, releasing his throbbing member and gripped it. He paused, hearing a twig snap in the distance, and sniffed at the air for any offending disturbances. He found none, and immediately drowned himself in thoughts of Lucy again.  
His hand quickly picked up pace as he imagined Lucy's hand instead of his own, her brown eyes looking into his, and hearing her whisper delicious things in his ear. "You're so big, Natsu." "Perhaps I could stop using my hands, and you could do something _else_ ". He let out a desperate pant as his hand continued to work diligently at his member.  
Images of Lucy flitted through his imagination, and he loved every second of it. An image of Lucy on her knees, with his member in her mouth was the final straw. He groaned gutturally and let himself be overcome with the sweet feeling of his release. He finished himself off, slowly stroking until he felt his member become softer and too sensitive to touch.

Releasing a pent up breath, he smiled to himself. He felt a little more clear-headed now.  
He went to pull up his pants, but realised he had, unfortunately, been a little careless in his release. Small splattering's of his climax were on the top of his thighs, and even on his stomach. He sighed, frustrated, and trudged over to the river to clean himself. The water was cold, but a few bursts of the flames from his hands had it a little more tolerable. He nodded to himself as he splashed the water on the affected areas, satisfied with the cleaning.

He summoned fire to his body to dry himself off, and began the walk back to camp. He knew they'd be returning to the guild by tomorrow, and that would be when he'd have to talk to her.

As he reached the camp, having gone over plan after plan of how to address her, he snuggled into his sleeping bag. Though Natsu had learnt how to accept fear during his battle with Gildarts on Tenrou Island, he still felt it overwhelm him in the wake of confessing all his thoughts to Lucy.  
He sighed, stilling his mind. He couldn't do anything about it right that moment, so he decided to let himself relax. Sleep is what was needed for now.

* * *

Hey!

So I'm surprised that there were so many people who wanted me to continue this (like, some of you even said you didn't care if there wasn't anymore smut!).  
I can see where you're all coming from too, and though I'm cool with the whole Friends With Benefits thing, I think Natsu and Lucy wouldn't be able to keep it up for too long without some sort of change in feelings and behaviours.

I hope you guys enjoyed it! It's a little less smutty- more limey than anything else I suppose! And Natsu-centric.  
Do leave a review if you'd like me to continue. I've got an idea for one or two more chapters and then I'll leave it alone. I know, I know, tough talk from someone who intended this to be a one shot from the get-go!

Also, really stoked with the amount of views this has had! 3.5k this month! That's awesome! Though I'm a little confused, because this story only has 19 reviews? If it's good/not good, please tell me! I'd love to be able to improve!

Really appreciate everyone who has PM'd me (you know who you are, you fantastic people, you) and everyone who has reviewed too :).  
Have a lovely day!

Ella xxoox

EDIT: Haha holy shit, thanks to everyone who pointed out the formatting was totally whacked out! Fixed now! Thank you thank you!


	4. Conclusions with Open Ends

"What?" Lucy's mouth fell open. "You want to… _mate with me_?"

The pink haired Dragon Slayer stood in front of her and nodded resolutely, hands clenching at his sides in anxious tension.

Lucy was relieved to hear that Natsu had gone on a mission for a few days with Gajeel and Gray. "Maybe" she mused aloud to no one in particular "I can get some space to think about everything."  
She took a deep breath and rolled herself off her bed, making a plan to head to the guild hall for lunch. She looked at her clock, observing it to read 11.15. It was strange for Lucy to stay in bed so late, but when she received an 8am call from Levy on her communication Lacrima detailing Natsu's journey, she couldn't help but be a little… relieved. She let her sub-conscious have free reign for a while, enjoying the simple, random thoughts popping in and out of her mind. Enjoying the knowledge that she wouldn't have to avoid Natsu, at least for a little while. Eventually, Lucy realised that time had escaped from her, and she needed to get ready for lunch.  
She stripped off her pyjamas and stretched, enjoying the feeling of the luke-warm breeze through her window flowing over her skin. She pulled out her Heart Kruz shirt and threw it over her head, followed by slipping on her favourite blue skirt. She put on her shoes, and gave herself an once-over in the mirror, before heading out the door. She elected to walk on the footpath on this particular journey, not feeling like balancing on the balustrade next to the river. She just didn't feel light-hearted enough for that today. She walked along the river side, finally resolving to deal with her thoughts about Natsu.

She already knew the argument with Natsu was ridiculous. It had got way out of hand way too quickly. When she really analysed the conversation, she knew where it went wrong. She had said "I'm not dating anyone at the moment, anyway."  
It had meant to be a joke. Natsu _knew_ she had never been on a date. The only time she had even been _asked_ to go on a date, she had turned it down to do a mission with Natsu and Happy!  
She remembered Natsu saying so resolutely, so certainly, that she couldn't date anyone, anyway. That simple sentence had made her angry. What gave _Natsu_ the right to tell her if she could, or couldn't date? That wasn't _his_ decision! She had bitten back her reply with exactly that, Natsu couldn't tell her if she was allowed to date. The fact that casually dating someone gave her anxious panic, and that she wouldn't even know how to put all her book-learned experience into action was completely beside the point. The fact that she'd rather go on a mission, improve her skills or hang out with any of her wonderful guild family was _also_ beside the point. However, she found she couldn't drop the subject. She just couldn't let it slide that Natsu felt he had some sort of claim on her. It was frustrating.  
The whole thing ended with her pulling on her clothes and Natsu pulling on his pants, while Lucy grabbed his clothes, shoved them into his arms and pushed him out the front door.  
She turned the lock, fully aware that if he wanted to get in again, he'd just climb in through the window, or worse, light the door on fire. She turned on her heel and spewed nonsensical, frustrated sentences from her mouth. She threw herself on her bed and smacked angrily into her pillow, irritated with how the situation had turned out. She had heard a bang at her window sill, and looked over, ready to re-start the fight with Natsu. However, all she found was a bird who had knocked it's wing against her window pane. It landed itself gently on her sill, and absorbed the warm summer sun.

Watching the bird had brought her out of her rage, and made her evaluate the situation that had just occurred.  
Upon honest inspection of herself, she found she was disappointed that she let the argument get so out of hand with so few words. She was frustrated that she didn't correct Natsu and had instead decided to bite back, adding fuel to the fire. She liked to think she was a good friend, and good friends certainly didn't do that.

She hadn't meant to avoid Natsu for so many days, either. It just sort of…happened. She didn't hold grudges without first trying to work the situation out, her father was proof of that! Whenever she saw Natsu, she'd feel a scowl spread across her face as she remembered how the situation transpired. She wasn't upset with him so much as she was upset with herself, and she just couldn't figure out a way to rectify the situation. So, she elected to avoid it. She had always practiced avoidance to try and get out of things- playing dumb that her rent was due with her Landlady, or pretending not to hear when Team Natsu decided on some shenanigan-filled venture. She would always own up in the end and follow through with what she was supposed to do, avoidance wasn't a permanent solution for her. She supposed this was just a different type of avoidance, one that bought her a little more time to consider the situation.

Because, really, the situation was wholly confusion. Two team mates, best friends, and they start sleeping together without real cause? Stranger things had happened, she supposed, but she really never considered Natsu to… well… hold any sexual tendencies. His passions had always been fighting, and his family. He had used her sex appeal without so much as batting an eyelid at any of her states of undress, and had never made any sorts of moves towards her in that area.  
She groaned inwardly. Natsu was so confusing! He had never even _hinted_ he found her attractive or wanted anything to do with her physically, and then one night of antics had led to this!  
Lucy rolled her eyes, realising that trying to understand her partner would probably be one of life's most difficult, if not impossible tasks.  
She'd be lying if she said she didn't find Natsu attractive. Was he on the top of her "People that would make the best boyfriend" list? No… Was he her 'type'- tall, mysterious, charming, and well read-? Definitely not, the notion was laughable! But there was still something there that made him desirable to her. Perhaps it was his unique take on life, his exuberance at simply existing. Perhaps it was the love he so freely gave to anyone and everyone he held dear.  
Perhaps it had something to do with his toned, rippled muscles, too.

Either way, she couldn't deny her attraction to him, she wouldn't have been intimate with him if she didn't think so. The thoughts of their trysts still made her blush. They were so passionate, so safe and so very, _very_ enjoyable. She really couldn't imagine doing anything like that with anyone _but_ Natsu. He was so tender with her; so careful yet passionate during their trysts. He still brought some of his usual chaos and enjoyment to the situation, but the side he showed her during their intimacy was different. He was almost vulnerable, and she could see that he was intoxicated with her.  
She loved that only she had seen that side of him, too. Just the thought of someone else being…intimate… with Natsu was enough to spur her irrational jealousy.

"Lucy, are you…going to come inside?" A friendly voice said.

Lucy looked around wildly for a second, before seeing Levy standing in front of her, door to the guild open and a bright smile on her face.

Lucy plastered a grin on her lips and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, Levy! I didn't realise I had reached the guild!"

Levy smiled knowingly and dragged Lucy inside with a "come on!", sitting her at one of the tables.

"So, how are you doing?" Levy said, sitting across from her.

Lucy bit the inside of her lip. "I'm… okay."

"Still hung up on the argument with Natsu?"

"Yeah." Lucy replied, letting out a sigh. She was grateful that she had been able to talk to Levy about her problems. Levy made no attempt to offer advice or a solution, but simply listened to her quietly, nodding and frowning at times. Levy was good like that.

A light pause enveloped the two, before Levy broke it.

"I told Gajeel about the uh… problems. That's why they're on a mission together." Levy said, a small, nervous smile at her lips.

Lucy frowned. "Did- did you just say… you told… Gajeel?"

Levy laughed nervously, her small smile turning into a grin. "Sorry."

"But I thought you said Gray went with them?" Lucy questioned.

Levy replied with an apologetic grin and a shrug of her shoulders.

Realisation hit Lucy as she groaned emphatically. "How many other people know?"

Levy looked away to the rest of the guild sheepishly. "Everyone."

Lucy sat and stared at her friend for a few moments. She blinked confusedly a few times before letting out a strained wail. "Everyone?!"

The blue-haired mage waved her hands at her in an attempt to quiet Lucy down. "Shh, Lucy. Everyone knew something was wrong _anyway_. You two were moping around for days!"

Lucy put her head in her hands. 'Everyone knows' she thought to herself. She quickly recomposed herself with a deep breath and looked at Levy. "Okay. Everyone knows." She waved a hand haphazardly. "Fine. They would have found out one day, anyway."

Levy nodded in agreement, eying Lucy warily, as if she didn't trust her to keep her composure.

"I just don't know what to do with him, you know?" Lucy said, side-stepping her previous issue.

Levy cocked her head. "How so?"

"He was so forceful. Like, almost demanding. I just couldn't believe Natsu would say something like that."

Levy paused and nodded, thinking over her response. "I guess Natsu and Gajeel are…similar like that." She said, a small smile playing on the corner of her lips. "Once they decide on something, that's it."

Lucy pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well it's not fair."

A silence flowed into the conversation and Lucy pouted, staring at the table, and Levy watched her.

"So why'd you explode about it, anyway?"

Lucy looked up from the table. "Wouldn't _you_?

Levy paused again, mulling over her response. "Mmm. Ma-aa-ybe." She drawled out.

"What do you mean, "maybe"?" Lucy barked. "He totally overstepped his boundaries!"

Levy realised the delicate situation she was in, and resolutely decided to tread very, very carefully. "Yeah, that _is_ true. But I mean…" she trailed off for a moment. "It _is_ Natsu. He's kinda…" Levy circled her hand.

Lucy decided to finish the sentence for her. "Stupid? Clueless? Entitled?"

"I was going to say more along the lines of instinctual." Levy said

Lucy grimaced. "What?"

Levy took a deep breath. "Well, when he fights." She paused lightly, quickly trying to find the right words. "Everything is so natural; the way he responds to things, the way he moves. It's like he's perfectly in tune with it. I think that's why he wins all the time."

"So how does that have anything to do with him and me?"

Levy nodded, before continuing. "I think he does that with every situation he's in. Responds naturally, instinctually. He got jealous, so he reacted jealously." She paused again. "And, you know, once he gets carried away…" She motioned with her hand. "Well, he tends to go overboard."

"I just don't know why he thinks he has any claim on me!" Lucy retorted, throwing her hands up.

Levy snorted a laugh. "Really? You're best friends, you do everything together _and_ " she looked around the guild and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're… you know, doing _it._ "

"That doesn't mean he owns me!"

Levy wagged her finger at Lucy. " _Instincts,_ Lucy. I think if this situation happened with Gajeel, he'd react the same way. Plus… anyone can tell you're special to Natsu." She smiled slyly at Lucy. "More special than other people, anyway."

Lucy felt her cheeks heat up, embarrassment sweeping over her. "I suppose…" she took a deep breath, exhaling through her nose slowly. "I mean. He's special to me too."

Levy beamed. "Go on!" she said, enjoying the juiciness of Lucy's awkward demeanour.

"Stop that." Lucy chastised, frowning. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she continued. "I mean, he's obviously special. I… well, I've had a lot of firsts with him. All of them, actually." She continued her thoughts, voice regaining normal volume. "I wouldn't do something like that without… some sort of special connection."

"Love?" Levy asked.

Lucy felt her blush re-appear. "I- I" she stuttered. "I'm not sure if I'd go that far!" another pause. "I know I care for him. I know he's a different kind of special to everyone else…. He's kind, loyal…He'd make a great dad, too..." She said, trailing off.

Levy beamed at her friend. "You _love_ him!"

* * *

After lunch with Levy, Lucy had bid her friend good bye and made her way home. At a loss for what to do, she sat down at her desk and attempted to further her progress with her novel. She sighed, looking down at the page where she had left off.  
The characters were becoming meaningless to her, as if they were distant memories instead of the friends she had made them. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps, one day, her guild mates would be the same, but she banished it, reprimanding herself for even supposing that would happen. She let her thoughts have free reign, pondering everything from what her dinner would be, to how Juvia could become one with the water, to if there was a possibility of acquiring more keys from quests. Of course, her thoughts – as always – landed back on Natsu.  
Levy's accusation of Lucy loving Natsu was… well, quite frankly, she didn't know _what_ it was.  
It wasn't far-fetched, she was sure she loved him in _some_ sense. And though she'd never experienced romantic love before, she figured what she held for Natsu was somewhere very close to that. The thought frightened her a little, though she couldn't place exactly why that was. She hadn't been hurt by previous loves; she hadn't had any. Was it because it was him? Natsu?  
She sighed deeply to herself, and tapped her pencil on the desk thoughtfully.  
Natsu was everything she had _never_ considered in a boyfriend. Not tall, not dark, not mysterious. If anything, he was the opposite. Average height, bright pink hair, and everything about him was laid bare for all to see. If anything, _Grey_ would be her ideal boyfriend, according to her standards. The thought was laughable; it was so inexcusably ridiculous she couldn't even logically think about her and Grey in a romantic relationship. She quickly cycled through the other males in the guild.

Elfman? Too brash, too thoughtless.

Marco? Too old, and far too sleazy.

Warren? Too ambiguous, too unopposed in her life.

Jet? Too fast-paced, too devoted to Levy. She supposed that put Droy out of the equation as well.

Gajeel? Well, apart from being Levy's token Dragon Slayer, he was just too steely, too removed from overt joy for her liking.

She supposed Natsu _was_ another option. Loyal, caring, would-do-anything-for-anyone. He was sweet in the most unpredictable ways, and his emotions were magnificent- never middling, but always at either end of an extreme.  
Lucy felt her cheeks heat and a blush spread across them. Natsu was amazing, really, nothing short of it. He was either her parallel or a perfect compliment to her. He was a balance for her, simply her everything.  
Lucy was brought from her thoughts by a knock at her door. Rising from her chair and calling "Coming!", she strode to the door and opened it.

* * *

"What?" Lucy's mouth fell open. "You want to… _mate with me_?"

The pink haired Dragon Slayer stood in front of her and nodded resolutely, hands clenching at his sides in anxious tension.

"How…what?" She stuttered a reply.

"I told you, I'm half Dragon. We…mate…with our partners. For life." Natsu replied.

Lucy screwed up her face. "We…we've only" she reduced the level of her voice. "slept together three times!" She resumed normal talking. "How can we be mates?"

Natsu shrugged. "Dunno. I just…" he motioned to his stomach. "I feel it here."

Lucy looked at him, right in his eyes, studying his intent through them. She felt a smile creep onto her face, before her features exploded into laughter. What a "Natsu" thing to say! Jumping head first into a situation once again, she assumed. It had not been her intention to erupt in laughter, but at her wholly unpredictable partner and his suggestions, she simply couldn't contain it. She laughed, thankful and happily, leaving Natsu confused at her change in demeanor.

"Why are you _laughing_ at?" He said, somewhat tetchily.

Lucy let her laugh subside into giggling and hiccupped her reply. "That's ridiculous." Another laugh spilling out. I'm not mating with you!"

That was certainly _not_ the response he had been expecting. Laughter was the last thing he would've supposed Lucy would erupt with. "What? Why?"

Lucy let her giggles die down as puffed out a breath as she regained serious composure. "Because you're _half_ Dragon." She said, a smile still gracing her features. "And I'm not a Dragon at all! What's the point of mating?"

Natsu frowned. "To… to be bonded together forever."

Lucy held up her hands, a skeptical look enveloping her features, contrasting her smile. "Hold on there. We've slept together three times. That doesn't mean we're supposed to mate. Being bonded together forever with someone sounds… a little archaic."

"Archaic?"

"Old fashioned. Out of date. We live in X792 for goodness sakes! We don't have to follow traditions. If we did, I never would have left the mansion!" She replied.

"But… Igneel…" Natsu began.

Lucy placed a finger over his mouth. "Natsu. This whole mating thing sounds like something _Dragons_ do. Not humans. Not us. You don't need to claim me."

Natsu closed his lips as Lucy withdrew her finger.

"Besides!" She continued. "You're going from friends with benefits, to being together for life?" Lucy threw her hands on her hips. "I don't think so, you haven't even taken me on a _date_ yet."

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to go on a date?"

Lucy smiled weakly at him, trying to convey some sort of confidence at the statement she let slip. "Well… yeah."

Natsu tilted his head to look at her and grinned widely. "Sounds good!"

Lucy sighed deeply and brushed a hand through her hair. "Trust you to go from sleeping with someone a few times to pledging to mate with them. Honestly, Natsu."

"I just… didn't know. All I know is I love you, and mating is what Igneel told me Dragons do." Natsu said with a shrug. "I was just following what my Dad said."

Lucy nodded, taking in his sentence. She paused for a moment, replaying what she _thought_ he said. Had he just said he loved her? "You…you _what?"_ She screeched. "Did you just say you _love_ me?"

Natsu looked at her quizzically, again not expecting Lucy's calibre of response. "Well, yeah. Thought it was obvious? Gajeel picked up on it."

Lucy paused once again, dumbfounded by Natsu's direct-as-ever approach. "You…love…Oi!" She said, throwing her hands in the air, realisation at the situation overcoming her. "Take me on a date or something, stupid! You're skipping steps!"

Natsu shrugged. "I'm just telling the truth. I thought girls liked that."

Lucy pitched her hands on her hips. "Just shush!"

Natsu pouted and looked away. He hadn't considered the thought of Lucy outright rejecting his offer to mate. He supposed it made sense though, he _wasn't_ actually a full Dragon, just a human with dragon magic. Lucy _certainly_ wasn't a dragon, in fact, she was probably as far from a dragon as someone could get. Perhaps it _was_ old fashioned. There was no need to claim the opposite sex anymore, he wouldn't be protecting her from anything, and mixing magics would be unnecessary too. Natsu felt a sort of relief that Lucy didn't want to mate. The whole thing had always struck him as too pre-ordained. One 'mate' for one Dragon that had been previously chosen by some uknown force? It was too devoid of free will, as if someone had already made the decision for him, and it was just his lot to obey. It dawned on him that asking her to mate with him was probably a similar sort of thing. He had made the decision _for_ her, like she had no say in the matter. Lucy was her own person, and certainly free to make her own choices.

Oh.

Ah, right.

 _So that's why she was upset before_ , Natsu thought to himself. Though he had pondered it on his mission with Grey and Gajeel, realising it of his own accord was different. Like he had finally understood her frustration at being told how she should act without being given a chance to challenge those rules. He should've known better, really. Lucy was the girl who ran away from affluence because she disagreed with how her father ruled her. She was the girl who stood up to injustice because it wasn't fair.

It made so much more sense to him, now. And he felt guilty.

He brought himself back to reality and looked into her eyes, a soft, sad glint playing in his. He took a shallow, shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy raised her eyebrows and knitted them together. "What? What for?"

"For thinking I could tell you what to do." He paused lightly, looking down at his feet. "You know. With dating."

Lucy looked at him for a moment, soaking in his apology. "Natsu…" She began, reaching out to take his hands. "Thank you." There was nothing else she needed to say.

Natsu moved his eyes to hers and smiled. A pause enveloped them once again before he spoke. "So, what now?"

Lucy swung his hands playfully. "Well, I guess you could… come inside?"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

Lucy smirked, removing her hands from his. She poked her finger into his chest, and dragged her nail upwards. Natsu's head moved back slightly as Lucy dragged her nail over his neck, feeling the muscles there ripple at the sensation. She stopped at his chin and grinned at him. "I think you know why."

She spun on her heel and walked inside, leaving Natsu stunned outside her door. He quickly snapped out of his dazed silence and followed after her carefully, closing the door behind him. As he rounded the corner, he paused to observe her. Lucy had made her way into her combined bed and lounge room, and was working on shuffling out of her shorts. Natsu raised an eyebrow and advanced towards her.

"Eager, aren't we." He said, coming up behind her and pressing his chest into her back. "You could have at least waited for me, you know."

Lucy kicked her shorts off her feet and spun around to face him. "Now where's the fun in that, Natsu." She said, once again tracing her finger up his torso, nail digging into his skin. "We don't need clothes for what I have in mind, anyway."

With that, she worked at shrugging his vest off his chest, palming her hands over his torso and down his arms as she dragged the vest. She let out a small "mmmm" of satisfaction at Natsu's chiselled bare chest, a response he took great pride in. In response, Natsu let his hands roam down her body until they stopped at the waistband of her underwear. He fingered the waistband as he looked down at her, taking in her lovely features; her beautiful lips, bright eyes and, he supposed, altogether gorgeous face. In their short time together as a pseudo-couple, he had always managed to sneak a glance at her at this point. She always managed to look so pure, like she _wasn't_ standing in front of him in a t-shirt and underwear. He grinned, knowing she was closer to sexual deity than purity, and leant to her neck, canines exposed, dragging his teeth loosely along her creamy flesh.  
Lucy immediately responded, moving her neck to allow him better contact and groaning lightly at the sensation of his teeth. Natsu grinned again, trading his teeth for his tongue, and licked oh-so-gently at the area he had just scraped his teeth along. He paused lightly, before biting gently and rolling his teeth over the skin he had clasped between his teeth.

Lucy was absolutely loving Natsu's attention, she always did. She ran her fingers over the waistband of his pants, aware of the tenting that had already begun within them. With Natsu still nipping and kissing at the sensitive skin of her neck, Lucy decided there would be no better time than the present to elicit some of those delightful moans of his. She pushed him away from her, stopping his gentle assault on her neck, much to his confusion. She grinned cockily at him and placed her hand squarely on his chest, pushing him backwards towards her bed. Natsu stepped back clumsily, spellbound by Lucy's overt desire. He felt his knees hit the bedside, and with one last firm push of Lucy's palm, he fell backwards on to it.

Lucy smiled almost predatorily at him, as if she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. She stood over him, and leaned down to palm him through his pants. Natsu groaned in response, lifting his hips to meet her hand. She continued to rub him through the fabric, splayed fingers tracing his outline.

"Not wearing underwear, Natsu?" Lucy asked playfully, tracing two fingers over the clothed head of his member.

Natsu groaned. "They…" he let out a stuttered sigh. "Get in the way."

Lucy loved watching Natsu fall apart at her touches, especially when they were so simple. She grinned cockily at him. "Is that so? What do they get in the way of, Natsu?"

Natsu's hips were rolling at her touches, impatiently trying to get further towards her hands. She was teasing him, intentionally swaying him between satisfaction and, wanting more. With an exasperated sigh, he grabbed her wrist. "Of this."

He pulled her wrist, causing her to yelp and lurch forwards on to the bed. Lucy caught herself, knees either side of his thighs and hands stabilising on his chest. Natsu removed his hand from her waist, and clamped them on her hips instead, grinding into her.

"Ahhhhhh." He groaned, a toothy, satisfied grin over his features.

Lucy couldn't help but moan in response, a small amount of relief for the pressure welling inside her. His extended absence from her, as well as his teasing touches from just prior, had left her aching for him.

Natsu continued to roll his hips against her, the thin fabric of his pants slowly becoming wet as Lucy's underwear dampened with her arousal. His hands gripped almost painfully into Lucy's hips as he watched them grind together, too focussed on their increasing stimulation to have his hands wander elsewhere. It was almost intolerable for him, feeling as though he was caught halfway between the desire for eternal pleasure and his release.

Lucy could also feel herself succumbing to the heightening pleasure of their hips rolling against each other. But this was certainly not the extent of what she wanted them to do, and her craving for Natsu to be inside her was maddening. Making a snap decision to set them on a different path, she grabbed the bottom of her t-shirt, and slid it up her body, flinging it over her head. Natsu's grip lessened slightly on her hips as his eyes found her breasts, jiggling slightly as their grinding continued. He bit his lower lip and removed his hands from her hips, trailing them up her body to her breasts and tweaked at her stiffening nipples. She moaned breathily in response, always subtly surprised at how quickly Natsu learnt exactly what made her come undone.

Lucy had enough. She placed her hands over his on her breasts and looked straight into his eyes. There was a burning edge to them that made Natsu's blood boil, she looked so in control and dominating.

"Natsu, fuck me."

Natsu's world stood still for a moment, playing over her words in his head. Did she really just say that? That's so hot! A blush swept over his features momentarily, not used to hearing Lucy speak so brazenly. Realising the implications of her statement, his blush faded and a toothy, cocky grin replaced it.

In one fluid motion, he flipped them over and rested himself between her thighs. He went to reach for the waistband of her underwear, the only article of her clothing left, but she pulled at his arm, stopping him

"Just push them aside."

Again with the sexy things she was saying! Natsu bit the inside of his cheek and nodded at her, tugging his pants down just enough to allow his member to spring forth. Pulling her underwear aside, he teased the head of his cock along her entrance, erotically fascinated with how wet she had become. She moaned at the contact, and lifted her hips slightly to meet his, as her hands snaked their way down his back, placing a pressure for him to continue. Taking her unspoken suggestion, Natsu aligned himself at her entrance and pushed himself slowly into her. She engulfed him in one fluid motion, and they both groaned contentedly at the contact. They stayed like that for a few moments, relishing the sensation of being together once more, before Natsu pulled out and plunged in again. Lucy scratched her nails along his back, coaxing him to do more, to which he obliged with a throaty moan. They began to work on a rhythm; fast, shallow and altogether intoxicating. Lucy moved her hands from his back to locking around his neck, and pulled him in for an open mouthed kiss. Their tongues rolled over each other's, as the sound of their moans filled the warm air of her bedroom.

They broke apart, as Lucy's hands found themselves back on his shoulders, and Natsu continued to place peppering kisses along her neck. Lucy realised, as she looked at Natsu above her, that there was nothing, nowhere and no one else she'd ever rank above this moment. Natsu placed delicate kisses that completely contrasted his animalistic pumping in and out of her. She realised it had always been like this with him, in everything they did. He would always be gentle and kind with her when it mattered.

Lucy felt overcome with affection for him, and placed her hands either side of his face and kissed him whole-heartedly. She moaned headily into his mouth, and he responded likewise. Natsu found himself slowing down as he fell into their kiss, until he was slowly, gently, carefully moving his hips. The animalistic side of him gave way for a sweet, genuine, contented side. Their frantic moans turned into soft whimpers as they gently ran their hands over each other's body, simply enjoying the warmth and security the other bought them.  
When they finally separated from their kiss, Lucy smiled at him. It was a genuine, heartfelt beam. Natsu returned her smile, appearing almost grateful.

"Delicious." He murmured as he kissed her neck.

Lucy smiled. What a "Natsu" thing to say.

Natsu pulled away slightly from her neck and whispered in her ear. "Can I… uh" he paused. "Start up again?"

Lucy raised an eyebrow, realising Natsu had stopped all together. She grinned at him, lifting her knees to her chest, hooking her arms underneath them and licked her lips.

"Like I said, Natsu. Fuck me."

And with those few small words, Natsu let lose in a way he never had before. His hands roamed all over her body, palming and scratching her in an attempt to succeed in well and truly 'fucking' her. Lucy had traded holding her knees to her chest, for hooking them over Natsu's shoulder, in favour of moving her hands to her sensitive nub. She used two fingers to rub tight, furious circles as Natsu thumped in and out of her. With the addition of her fingers, she could feel herself getting closer and closer to her peak as Natsu groaned above her, continuing his kisses and bed-breaking rhythm. Natsu trading kisses on her neck for a sucking on her nipple was all it took for her to tumble over the edge, as her body erupted in dizzying euphoria. She let out a shrieking groan, her orgasm continuing as Natsu continued to thrust into her.

The moment Natsu felt Lucy's inner walls contract around him, he knew he was down for the count. Her muscles gripped his member so tightly, it was if she was trying to force him over the edge with her. He suddenly felt his release brim to the surface, and quickly pulled out of her. He emptied himself on her stomach, member sliding in between her thighs in an effort to coax the last of his orgasm from himself. He panted heavily as he let Lucy's knees fall gently from his shoulders. They groaned together as their breaths slowed. Natsu placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and smiled at her. He slid off her and rested on his back, pulling Lucy in to cuddle, her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, Lucy?"

Lucy's panting slowed. "Yes?"

"Do you want to be my uh." He paused, as if he was completely unsure (for once in his life) of how to phrase the question. "My. Girlfriend?"

Lucy paused momentarily before she leant herself up on her elbow to look at him. She beamed at him and touched her forehead to his. "Of course."

Natsu returned her smile and placed a chaste kiss to her lips. Lucy set herself back down on his shoulder, and Natsu sighed contentedly, hands splaying through her golden hair. "or you know. You could just be my wife instead." He said, matter-of-factly.

Lucy paused and stared at him for a few moments, before she smiled. "One day."

Natsu grinned and closed his eyes, resting his hand on his chest, as breath brought him closer to a well-earned, satisfied sleep.

Lucy looked up to the ceiling and smiled gently. She was content. In fact, more than that. She was happy.

"This" she thought to herself. "This will do, just fine."

* * *

 **A/N: WOO! WE'RE DONE!**

 **So there was a massive delay in getting this chapter to you guys. This is the absolute final chapter, and I won't be writing any more on this story.  
There were a couple of reasons that I didn't update sooner. One of the major ones is that I wasn't sure that I actually wanted to finish it. I actually got some fairly nasty reviews on the last chapter, people that were very unhappy with how the story progressed. And that's fine, I know you can't please everyone. I always had an idea to debunk the "Mates for Life" trope, as I think it's a little overused and could use a 'revamp' if you will, which is what I was leading into with the previous chapter. I'm not sure if I succeeded in avoiding the cliche, but I'm not too concerned with how it turned out. They're a little OOC, and I did lose the train of thought with it a few times, but it will have to do!**

 **Really, the reason I'm writing all of this is because I'd just like to urge you guys to think really, really carefully about what you write in reviews. 99.9% of you were amazing reviewers, and I really appreciate you all and your continued support. You're truly amazing and you've really made my day every time I see one of your gorgeous reviews :)!  
But to the select few who decided to go balls-deep and just spew negativity, I'd urge you to consider strongly what you write before you post it. Constructive criticism is always welcome by mature authors. Emotionally driven anguish because the writer didn't do what _you_ wanted is not welcome. **

**I just had to get that off my chest, I've never actually received negative reviews before. Certainly my fair share of constructive criticism (always welcome, you awesome dudes =3), but never full on rage because I didn't do what certain people wanted.**

All in all, I hope you guys have enjoyed this fic! I'm going to start working on "A Thousand Lives" soon, and I also have a Gruvia fic running around in my head, too :). I'm so, so grateful to you guys for being wonderful readers, and all the faves, follows, reviews and group-adds.

Have a good day guys, you're rad!

Love, Ella :) 3

P.S, always use protection.


	5. ALTERNATE ENDING (Perfect)

**Hi Everyone! This is an 'alternate ending', set after the second chapter and completely discounting the 3** **rd** **and 4** **th** **chapters (which were not overly popular haha). This is a little more cliché, and probably more of a lime, as there are no explicit lemons in this chapter :). I may extend this again with a full lemon, but for now, this story ends with some mild citrus and a happy wrap-up!**

 ****

The last few weeks with Natsu had been… different. Though, perhaps 'different' hadn't been the right word, perhaps 'unprecedented' would be more fitting.

To start, their 'activities' out of the guild had increased, and Lucy found Natsu at her house several times a week. Though, if her house was too far away, they seemed to be content to gratify their desires anywhere they could; her apartment, the guild storeroom, or even, when they were feeling irrationally impatient, a secluded part of the forest nearby Natsu's home.  
Their rendezvous were so intense that even while they were apart, Lucy would fixate her thinking on the next time they could be together. It culminated in Lucy often arriving at Natsu's house with an urgent concern of some description - "I think my bathroom tap is leaking!" or "I need some help with moving my bed right now!", and Natsu would eagerly oblige.  
On the first few occasions that Happy would insist on coming, Natsu would make excuses "Oh, Happy you hate getting wet. I'll deal with it." Or "It's fine Happy, you just stay here and relax". For a while, the excuses worked, and Happy would grin and float his way back down to the hammock he slept on, or busy himself finding something to eat. However, Happy quickly became bored with the lack of inclusion and started to become more persistent to tag along.  
This posed a more difficult task, as convincing the Exceed wouldn't be missing out on anything became less and less likely.  
Natsu had figured out a way to keep Happy pacified though, by way of explanation. So, one late afternoon when Natsu heard Lucy walking up their long garden path, he sat Happy down and reasoned with him.  
The conversation was brief, but Happy seemed contended with the explanation. So when Lucy arrived, Happy merely bid them goodbye and busied himself with some innocuous task. As she and Natsu walked the journey back to her apartment, Lucy questioned him on it. Natsu vaguely mentioned something about Happy not wanting Natsu to get involved with Charle, so perhaps he shouldn't get too involved with Lucy.  
Lucy was initially upset with this arrangement, not wanting to exclude her favourite blue feline, however the convenience of not having to pacify Happy eventually proved to be worth the sacrifice.

Lucy had also noted Natsu to become more possessive. Not in the typical sense, however. More in an unconscious way, a way she had seen her father interact with her mother. Simple things, like Natsu resting his hand on the small of her back instead of grabbing at her wrist when he wanted to direct her. Or sitting close to her in the guild hall when they ate, smiling happily at her in-between mouthfuls of Mira's home cooking.  
It was strange to see Natsu so comfortably calm. The rest of his persona remained unchanged with his fellow guild mates, he tore up the place with his fights with Gray, and argued the same amount with Gajeel. He even had the same child-like disposition with picking jobs and completing them, tantrums and elatedness all the while.  
But when it was just them, he was so gentle, caring even. His face would soften when he looked at her, and his eyes quickly began to convey something other than lust. It was deeper, more … loving, perhaps.  
The looks he gave her always had a soothing effect on her, as though he could melt her. Her heart would beat faster and, despite all attempts to stop it, a very light blush would dust her cheeks. Natsu would have usually looked away by then, but the lingering effect of his looks left Lucy in a blissful haze for a few moments before she snapped back to reality.

These interactions with Natsu had got her thinking. Perhaps 'best friends' wasn't the only thing they could be. She would always chastise herself for the thoughts. After all, it had been her insistence that they remain best friends. The thoughts she had of waking up to him each day, or walking hand in hand into the guild… she needed to suppress them.  
She needed to suppress her feelings too. As much as she tried to deny it to herself, she knew she was falling for him. She just hadn't felt this way about anyone before. She had experienced crushes, but never something so… deep. So totally overwhelming. The feeling was addictive, as though she had to have more of it, the more she had. Her frustration with her feelings had led to some interesting conclusions. Initially, she had become rougher with Natsu, by means of 'drowning out' the feelings. She replaced her inexperience with animalistic drive, which often resulted in some very quick foreplay, and some _very_ rough sex. Lots of hair pulling, scratching and biting. Natsu had seemed momentarily shocked the first time Lucy had got rough, but quickly unleashed his own animalistic side, which resulted in some of the most "earth-shattering sex ever known to any man ever" according to Natsu. They had stopped at an inn a few districts after a successful job. She had looked at him predatorily, and before they knew it, Natsu had her bent over the bathroom sink. Lucy remembered looking into the mirror in front of her, watching Natsu watch her as her panting, moaning breaths lightly fogged the glass. _That_ had been a good day.

After her desire to quell her feelings by means of intensity was unsuccessful, she attempted ignoring them. Every time she would feel anything other than platonic friendship, she would stamp it down with her new mantra " _No, no, no, no"._ It worked for the first five seconds, perhaps, but then became completely ineffective as she dreamily let her mind wander. There was nothing wrong with some fantasies right?

Maybe she could delude herself for just a little while longer…

"What are we, Natsu?" Lucy asked one day from across the table at the guild. She was picking at her food, pushing her half eaten meal around the plate with her fork.

"Mm?" He replied lazily, taking a swig from his stein. "What do you mean?"

Lucy sighed and cast her gaze sideways. "I mean… what are we doing?"

Natsu put his stein down and raised an eyebrow. "Eating lunch and having a beer?" He replied uncertainly.

Lucy's gaze snapped back to him with a mildly frustrated frown. "No. I mean what are we doing with…" she motioned a finger between them. "this. You know… our… times together…" she finished, a blush enveloping her cheeks.

Natsu returned her blush, an uncommon sense of embarrassment settling over him. He coughed lightly before replying. "You… you said we were best friends."

"But you said I was special." Lucy trailed.

Natsu's frowned resolutely. "You are."

"You said no one else can touch me."

Natsu crossed his arms. "They can't."

Lucy felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. She was so confused. "So what is this then?"

Natsu sensed she was upset. He could see it all over her face. He looked to the ceiling for some inspiration to answer her question with, but settled with an honest answer. "I don't know."  
It was true, he didn't know. It was completely uncharted territory for him, and though everything about him desired to explore it, he felt unusually reserved. Like he didn't want to risk damaging something he had no place wrecking.

Natsu's reply was all that was needed for Lucy to let a tear slide down her cheek. And another. And another. She gulped loudly and swiped a wrist over her face before standing up. "I have to go, Natsu. I'll see you later."

"Wait, where are you going?" Natsu motioned to the food. "You haven't finished your meal, yet."

But Lucy had already left the table and was making a beeline for the entrance of the guild. "You can have it." She called over her shoulder, and with that, she was gone.

That left Natsu at the table all by himself. He hadn't realised, but he had stood up and half made his way from the table in an effort for her to stay. Feeling conspicuous, he sat himself down again and picked up his stein, bringing it to his lips. He couldn't quite make a gulp of it though, and elected to set it back on the table.

He sighed heavily, a deep frown appearing along his brow line.  
Natsu knew that he had been sending her mixed signals. He knew that the subtle touches he had showered her with were not as platonic as they may have first appeared.  
He knew that the way he smiled at her was filled with something more than the love he had for his guild mates. He knew that Lucy had taken a previously un-titled position in his life; the most important person.  
He had Happy, and he would always be his best friend. But Lucy, gods, Lucy. There was something about her. Something so intoxicatingly delicious that made him want to practically worship her. Something that made him absolutely _have_ to have his hands on her, or at least have her attention on him.  
He knew that she had said that they were best friends, and truthfully, he had not brought it up since their second encounter.  
Although a part of him longed for more, he was resigned to settling with this arrangement; best friends with a special agreement on the side. Truthfully, there was a part of his heart that ripped a little each time he thought of their relationship never progressing past this 'friends with benefits' arrangement. He had become so fond of her, so charmed by her, that he wanted to keep bettering their relationship.  
He _wanted_ to see her in white as she walked down an aisle to him. He _wanted_ to see her pregnant with his child. He _wanted_ to watch her chase after their child, tutting at the shenanigans any child of Natsu was sure to get up to. He wanted to protect her forever.  
Initially, these thoughts had scared Natsu. He never considered a wife to be something he would have. He didn't even want a girlfriend! He wanted to live free, going where the jobs would take him, and fighting anyone who looked ready. He wanted to gain strength. He wanted to be notorious for beating his opponent at any cost. So how had his heroic desires changed to something so much more passive?  
The thought was put into his head one day by none other than his best friend. He had been at home with Happy, looking through a collection of memories from his jobs with Lucy and had stopped on the bandage Lucy had during the Grand Magic Games. He had kept it, unbeknownst to her, and it served as a memory for him to never let her get hurt again. This was long before they started their current arrangement, and it had made him realise that the desire to protect her had always been there, in some form. He smiled gently at the bandage as he held it in his hand, rubbing over the fabric with his thumb.  
Happy had brought him from his thoughts by flying past him and teasing "You looooo-oooove her!". Natsu had frowned for a moment before tossing the bandage aside and chasing after his little blue friend, ready to exact a playful revenge for the teasing. It was only after he had exacted his vengeance that he picked up the bandage from the floor and thought back on what Happy had said. Love? He scoffed at the notion, but could not deny a small, niggling feeling in the centre of his chest that said that maybe, just maybe, that's what his feelings were.  
He had tried everything he could to quell the thoughts and feelings, but they seeped into everything he did with her. It both distressed and delighted him to be so close to her, and he knew that his gentle touches were not going un-noticed by the beautiful woman receiving them.

He eventually decided that this was why she was upset with him. He had over-flowed her with mixed messages, and because she _definitely_ didn't feel the same way he did, she was confused and alarmed.

Natsu may have seemed impulsive, stupid even, but his phenomenal battle strategies were not lost on real world scenarios. He still had enough insight into situations to know when someone was hurt and confused.

Never being one to let unresolved situations fester, he leapt to his feet and tore out of the guild. He would fix this, whatever the outcome. He would tell her.

Natsu ran all the way to Lucy's house, a feat that seemed to take hours rather than the ten minutes he timed. It was as if his legs were heavy, like he was subconsciously fighting his resolve to confront his feelings with her. Every step he took felt like it put him further away from her apartment, until he rounded the corner to her block of units along the canal. Once he got to her stretch of units, time seemed to accelerate until he didn't realise that he had been standing at her door for a good few minutes.  
Something unfamiliar struck him. Doubt. What was he even doing here? What would this accomplish? Would he _actually_ fix anything by being honest with her?

His decision was made for him when he heard Lucy's footsteps approach the door and open it.

She was not surprised to see him, and looked at him blankly. "Were you ever going to knock?"

Natsu smirked and shrugged, feigning bravado in his insecurity. "Yeah, probably."

Lucy's blank stare continued for a few short moments before she replied. "What can I do for you, Natsu?"

The doubt hit him like a hundred thousand bricks and he could not stop the fear from seeping into his features. His mouth opened once and closed again, and accepting this temporary setback, he cast his glance to the side.

Lucy seemed to notice this drastic change in Natsu's persona and her face softened, a small, sympathetic smile on the corner of her lips.

"Come inside."

She turned on her heel and made her way up the stairs. Natsu followed her, happy for a reprieve from spilling his inward thoughts to her.

She came to her kitchen and stopped, turning to face Natsu. "So what is this about, Natsu?"

He swallowed a dry mouth and took a brief, steadying breath. "You asked what we were." He paused. "back at the guild."

Lucy frowned, and opened her mouth to say something, anything, that would make her seem stronger than her inner hurt she had temporarily relieved with tears.  
Natsu was quicker.

He brought Lucy's hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss there. "I'm sorry." He murmured into her wrist

"For what?"

Natsu trailed his lips past her wrist and onto her arm. "For… not treating you the way you deserve."

Lucy attempted to pull her arm away in confusion. A futile attempt to get Natsu to explain himself. "What do you mean?"

He held her arm steady in its place and continued to trail long, languid kisses up to her neck. "You are... special."

Lucy tilted her head to allow him to continue. "I'm your best friend."

Natsu placed a kiss at the crook of her neck, and then pulled away, smiling. He gripped Lucy's shoulders and twirled her around, her back now facing him. He pressed into her, pinning her arms at her side, and she felt his solid chest against her back.

"I think we both know you're a little bit more than that." He whispered lowly.

Lucy sighed breathily at Natsu's voice, and leant her head back onto his shoulder. "What am I to you?"

Natsu released her pinned arms and ran his hands over her thighs and hips, stopping to grasp them and squeeze. "You're my queen."

Lucy spun on the spot and looked at him, temporarily ignoring the sexual tension they had stoked together. "What?"

Natsu's dark eyes were totally fixated on her. He repeated himself. "You're my queen."

The undertones of desire in his voice did not go unmissed by Lucy and she bit her lip. "What do you mean?"

Natsu pushed a piece of her blonde hair behind her ears. "I mean, I…" he faltered for a moment, not sure if he had the inner strength to finish the sentence. He took a deep breath. "I love you."

Lucy gasped lightly and took a half step away from him. This was entirely the last thing she had anticipated hearing. Perhaps something less intense was what she expected. This was Natsu after all, though, and intense was his modus operandi

"You what?" She said, faltering.

Natsu closed the distance and took her hand in his. "I love you." His resolve was certain now. "I don't know how you feel about me. But I know that Happy is right." He put his hands over his mouth as Happy did and pitched his voice. "I looo-oooove you!"

Lucy stared at him dumbfounded for a moment, before erupting into giggles. Natsu removed his hands from his mouth and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry."

Lucy's giggles subsided. "For what?"

"For telling you. I know you wanted to stay best friends. But…" he paused. "But, I don't know if I can. I ju-"

Lucy put a finger over his lips to quieten him. "That's fine with me." She said softly.

Natsu cocked his head slightly and frowned.

"Because I love you, too." She finished.

Natsu's face fell for a moment, processing what she said. It quickly reached his conscious mind, and he beamed widely at her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, it was joyful and light hearted. Lucy threw her arms over his shoulder and smiled as they pressed their lips together, feeling carefree, like a weight had been lifted from her.

Natsu picked her up, and spun her around as the kiss broke, Lucy erupting with giggles that subsided as he set her down again.

"I never thought I'd see the day the great Salamander took an interest in women!" Lucy said brightly.

Natsu scoffed. " _You_ never thought it! The thought never even crossed my mind!"

Lucy's face softened, the wholehearted feeling of acceptance running through her veins. "I love you." She said softly, full of all the warmth and emotion she had so long to convey to him.

Natsu wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "And I love you." He placed a kiss to her mouth gently and smiled through it.

As he pulled away, he grinned toothily. "Guess you have to marry me now!"

Lucy scoffed momentarily before she returned his grin. "One day, I guess you will!"

Lucy set herself against his strong chest and nuzzled her nose into his neck. This was perfect. This wasn't something she wanted just for now, this was something she wanted forever. She smiled to herself. _This will do perfectly._

 **AN: Hey! So I know there was some really negative feedback to my other two chapters, and I wanted to give you guys an ending you might receive a little better :). This will likely be the absolute end of this story (I just wanted to appease some of my cranky reviewers!) but I** ** _do_** **have another story that I'm working on at the moment called "A Thousand Lives". It's multichap and is one I'm really excited about! The story is on my main page, so please do check it out if you have some time!**

 **Happy Holidays, everyone! Stay safe**

 **Ella xx.**


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